Premier League Match Center has confirmed that Idrissa Gana Nguye was sent off for an “obvious blow to the face” during a mysterious incident with teammate Michael Keane against Manchester United. Everton vs. Two Everton FC players had a heated disagreement in their own penalty area just 13 minutes into the game after an incident between the two players saw Bruno Fernandes’ shot go wide. And while the two were exchanging heated words, Gueye appeared to slap Keane in the face after being pushed by the centre-back.
Referee Tony Harrington’s straight red for Gueye was controversial. Following his sacking, Keane was also seen telling Gueye that his actions had been foolish, further infuriating the Senegalese midfielder. It is the first time a player has been shown a red card for a fight with his own teammate since Ricardo Fuller slapped captain Andy Griffin during Stoke’s defeat to West Ham in December 2008.
And the Premier League’s X account, which provides information directly from Match Center and the VAR hub, confirmed that the #MUNEVE – 13 referee’s red card for Gueye for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR, which clearly deemed it to be a blow to Keane’s face.
Premier League rules state that players must be shown a red card if they “hit an opponent or other person in the head or face with their hand or arm, unless the force used is negligible”.
Gary Neville, commentating on the match for Sky Sports, felt the red was unnecessary as it was not too powerful. He said: “There’s a solidarity between him and Keane. It always looks unpleasant when it’s teammate against teammate. There’s no big deal there. To be fair to him, Jordan Pickford is doing a very good job.”
“How venomous was that slap? That’s why he got sent off. Was it a small slap or a proper punch? It was definitely a hand to the face, but it wasn’t too bad.”
“Maybe they should have sent him off just because of the blow to the face,” added the United legend after watching another replay. “It wasn’t a big deal. It might have looked a little more aggressive from that side, but it was a tap. It wasn’t a scrap. It could have been a yellow, my gut feeling. I don’t think it needed to be a red card.”
