Idrissa Gueye Breaks Silence After Red Card For Michael Keane Slap

Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye has spoken out after he was sent off for violent conduct on team-mate Michael Keane during the 1-0 win over Manchester United.

The 35-year-old furiously confronted Keane in Everton's penalty area on 13 minutes after Bruno Fernandes had shot over for United.

Gueye connected with a slap to the side of Keane's face during the row, resulting in the Senegal midfielder being shown a straight red card for violent conduct.

The Premier League's Match Centre account stated: "The referee's call of red card to Gueye for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR - with the action deemed to be a clear strike to the face of Keane."

Everton regrouped and subsequently took the lead on 29 minutes through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's curling strike.

David Moyes' side held on for victory in the second half, with the Toffees manager confirming that Gueye had apologised to his team-mates at full-time and thanked them for their performance in his absence.

Gueye has now posted a lengthy apology to his Instagram story, stating that he takes 'full responsibility for my reaction'.

"I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane," he wrote on his official account.

"I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for.

"Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour. I'll make sure it never happens again. UTT."

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Moyes stated: "I got told that the rules of the game are that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.

"But there's another side to it. 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."

Everton move up to 11th place in the Premier League table as a result of the victory, and are now ahead of rivals Liverpool on goal difference.

They have picked up 18 points from their 12 games, and host Newcastle at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in their next league match on Saturday.

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