Toffees Teammates Give Applause to Idrissa Gueye After Apology for Keane Slap

Idrissa Gueye was given a round of applause from his Everton teammates after issuing an apology for his shocking red card during Monday's triumph at Manchester United.

Rare Situation in Premier League

Gueye became the initial Premier League player to be dismissed for hitting a fellow player in 17 years when he slapped his defensive colleague during the match. The Toffees' performance was remarkable as they played with 10 men for the majority of the game, including stoppage time, to secure David Moyes' initial victory at Old Trafford as a away coach in multiple tries.

'My first apology goes to Michael Keane,' he wrote on social media. 'I accept complete responsibility for my actions.'

Dressing Room Response

Gueye did not get an chance to converse with the manager or his teammates at half-time. Following the match, with the visitors' locker room celebrating after the 1-0 win, the 36-year-old asked to address the entire group and the defender specifically.

• He expressed regret to Keane for striking him across the face
• The intense 13th-minute confrontation occurred after a poor distribution in his own defensive third
• He also said sorry to the squad for leaving them with a monumental task
• Gueye's words were positively accepted by the squad

Potential Consequences

The 36-year-old may yet be disciplined by Everton despite the manager's statement that he likes his players competing with each other. Moyes has a standard punishment process for red and yellow cards, including financial penalties, which is likely to be implemented in Gueye's case.

Suspension and National Team Duty

Everton may find themselves without their key player until the new year. The Senegalese international will serve a three-match ban against Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest but might be selected for AFCON duty by Senegal before he becomes eligible to play against Chelsea on 13 December.

'Passions can sometimes overflow,' Gueye continued. 'However, there's no excuse for such conduct.'

Rival Reaction

Meanwhile, Mathijs de Ligt claimed his team of showing no urgency in Monday's defeat, which halted their unbeaten run at five games.

• 'English football doesn't tolerate weakness,' stated the Dutch defender
• 'We lacked that urgency to score goals,'
• 'Against a team like Everton,' who drop back it becomes challenging

The Red Devils head to Selhurst Park for Sunday's noon kickoff. 'The next game is really important now,' said De Ligt. 'We have to bounce back from this performance.'