Cliff Notes – Moyes on Gueye-Keane clash: ‘Like my players fighting’
- David Moyes defended Idrissa Gueye after his red card for slapping teammate Michael Keane, stating he values players showing passion and fighting for the right actions.
- Gueye apologised for his behaviour post-match, acknowledging the need for emotional control and taking responsibility for his actions.
Everton’s Moyes on Gueye-Keane clash: ‘Like my players fighting’
David Moyes refused to condemn Idrissa Gueye after the Everton midfielder was sent off for clashing with his own teammate in the team’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Monday as he likes his “players fighting each other, if someone didn’t do the right action.”
Gueye saw red 13 minutes in to the game, squaring up to teammate Michael Keane and slapping the defender as they argued over a misplaced pass which gave Bruno Fernandes a shooting chance he could not convert.
That left Everton under the cosh but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s fine 29th-minute goal gave them the lead, they then fought doggedly to defend against an increasingly frustrated United side who saw a five-game unbeaten run come to an end.
“I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn’t do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it,” Moyes said.
“If nothing happened [no red card], I don’t think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised. I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I was told that [by] the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.
Idrissa Gueye was held back by Jordan Pickford during the incident in the first half of Everton’s win. Getty
“I’m disappointed we got the sending off. But we’ve all been footballers, we get angry with our teammates. He’s apologised for the sending off, he’s praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised.”
Moyes said Gueye, 36, had apologised to his teammates after the game and added: “There’s no problem, we move on.”
The midfielder posted on Instagram after the match: “I want to apologise first to my teammate Michael Keane. I want to take full responsibility for my action.
“I also apologise to my teammates, the staff, the fans and the club. Emotions can run high but nothing justifies such behaviour.”
Former United boss Moyes had previously stood in the opposition dugout at Old Trafford 17 times without ever getting a win, making it all the more remarkable that these should be the circumstances in which that changed.
“If you’d have said to me when we went went to 10 men we were going to get a result, still at 0-0, I’d have said that would be really tough,” he said. “That was a brilliant, brilliant performance from the players.
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“Resilience, toughness, commitments, all the words you want as a manager and a great goal as well.”
Ruben Amorim could only wish he had seen the same sort of fight from his own players, who had been second best against 11-man Everton and remained second best before the break in a tepid first-half display, only turning up the heat late on as Everton dug in.
“I felt since the first moment, you can feel it,” Amorim said as he complained about a lack of intensity.
“Fighting is not a bad thing,” he added. “Fighting doesn’t mean you don’t like each other. Fighting means you lose the ball and I will fight you because we will suffer a goal. That was my feeling.
“I don’t agree with that red card. We can fight with teammates. I know it’s violent conduct because the referee explained but I don’t agree.
“I hope my players, when they lose the ball, they fight each other — thought they cannot get sent off! But that is a good feeling, not a bad feeling.”
Defeat left United down in 10th place, where victory could have sent them fifth.
“I know which point we are at,” Amorim added. “I had the feeling during this run and I also talk about it — we are not even near the point to fight for the best positions in the league. We have a lot to do.”