Everton–Manchester United, a crazy gesture disrupted the evening: sent off in the 13th minute for hitting his teammate Michael Keane), Idrissa Gana Gueye left Everton with ten men. Yet, the Toffees snatched a 0-1 victory at Old Trafford on November 24, 2025, thanks to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. How did a rare slip-up lead to an iconic success, and what does it say about Manchester United?
Man United vs Everton: a 13th-minute exclusion, a success with ten men
November 24, 2025, Old Trafford. At the 13th minute, Idrissa Gana Gueye is sent off for violent conduct after raising his hand towards Michael Keane, his teammate, during a stoppage in play. Referee Tony Harrington, positioned close to the action, immediately shows the red card. Everton finds itself with ten men for more than 75 minutes.
The scenario was supposed to break the Toffees. It galvanizes them. Everton vs Man United: in the 29th minute, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scores a powerful shot from the center, following a quick transition. 0-1, and the score will not change. Manchester United dominates possession, shoots on target several times, but is thwarted by Jordan Pickford, solid on his line and commanding in the air. Everton, reorganized, closes spaces and defends the result without panicking.
This success, achieved with ten against eleven on the Mancunian pitch, is a marker in Everton Man United: it is Everton’s first victory at Old Trafford in twelve years, only the second in thirty-three years. A discreet but stinging reminder: even weakened, the Toffees maintain a culture of resistance.
A rare scene in the Premier League
Altercations between teammates exist, but exclusion for this reason remains exceptional. Several precedents are often cited, including that of Ricardo Fuller with Stoke City in 2008. At Old Trafford, Gueye’s gesture — a slap or "hand movement towards the face" according to descriptions — occurs after a confusing sequence of play and an exchange of irritation with Michael Keane. The referee’s report is unambiguous: violent conduct, punished by a direct red card.
The episode recalls the letter of Law 12: hitting, attempting to hit, or striking the face. Moreover, this applies even towards a teammate and constitutes violent conduct. Consequently, it exposes one to expulsion. The regulation then provides for an independent disciplinary procedure from the match; the exact duration of any suspension will be determined by the competent authorities.
Reminder: Law 12 of the Laws of the Game governs fouls and disciplinary sanctions, including when the act targets a teammate.
With ten men, Everton changes its skin and holds the fort
The emergency plan is implemented as soon as the exclusion is signaled. David Moyes reorganizes his block into a 4-4-1 formation: tight lines, cautious flanks, straightforward ball exits. The early exit of captain Seamus Coleman (injured from the start) forces Jake O’Brien to come in very early. In midfield, James Garner increases his running volume and secures the first passes. Upfront, Ilman Ndiaye and Tom Barry provide depth without scattering.
Dewsbury-Hall’s goal becomes pivotal. Once ahead, Everton "freezes" the match: weak phases accepted, strong phases absorbed, tactical fouls assumed. In goal, Pickford lets his gloves do the talking on a close-range header and two long-range shots. The defense, centered around James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, wins its duels. Minutes pass, decibels rise, the organization holds.
Man United–Everton: facing the mirror
Rúben Amorim makes a clear assessment after the whistle: his Manchester United lacked intensity, variations, and sharpness to convert the numerical superiority. His team "deserved to lose," he admits in essence. Old Trafford, which hoped for confirmation of the "renewal," instead sees a plateau. Bruno Fernandes tries, Joshua Zirkzee offers a dangerous header, but nothing works. The changes are slow to reverse the dynamic. In the stands, impatience grows.
The symbol is harsh: against a reduced opponent, United fails to accelerate and is trapped by a compact and disciplined opponent. In a Championship where the top 4 is decided by details, these two points lost at home weigh more than just the score.
Gueye, the senior who slipped
At 36 years old, Idrissa Gana Gueye is not a novice. Trained at Lille, passed through Aston Villa, first stint at Everton, transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, return to Goodison Park, he has built a reputation as an indefatigable defensive midfielder, a great specialist in interceptions and pressing, 2021 African champion with Senegal. His duel expertise and technical cleanliness have made him, for years, a respected leader in the locker room.
It is precisely this contrast that strikes: a player known for his composure loses his temper in the middle of a match. After the game, the Senegalese midfielder apologizes internally. The Everton locker room accepts the gesture; the coach emphasizes the collective reaction that followed. The disciplinary bodies will decide later; the club, on its side, can also act internally. Until then, the confusion of the moment should not overshadow the essential: Everton won at Old Trafford because they ran, blocked, endured, and then held.
The locker room, anger, and the red line
The scene is as intriguing as it is fascinating. Locker rooms are micro-societies where statuses, responsibilities, and fatigue collide. Anger can arise from a silly mistake, a late positioning, a word too many. In modern football, these outbursts are rarely visible on the pitch; they are resolved behind closed doors. When they break out in the open, they become societal events: viral images, dissected sequences, debates on masculinity, pressure, and emotional management.
Coaches, meanwhile, navigate blindly. Reprimand without breaking, channel without cooling the desire: the balance is fragile. For the referee, the red line is clear: the hand to the face or any brutal act is prohibited. Indeed, this applies to any person — opponent, official, teammate — and constitutes violent conduct. Beyond morality, it is a rule. And on Saturday night in Manchester, the rule spoke.
What the rule says, what it doesn’t say
Law 12 does not measure frustration or context; it qualifies a gesture and determines a field sanction. It then leaves the commissions to set the consequences, based on referee reports and possible images. In this context, it is useless to speculate. Jurisprudence reminds us that an exclusion for violent conduct generally leads to a suspension, the duration of which varies.
That night, the game resumed. With ten men, Everton closed the door and found the flaw once. It is there, at the core, that the true lesson of football lies.
A symbol for the Toffees
Football is never pure. It is won in noise, contradiction, sometimes accident. Everton leaves Manchester United–Everton with a signature victory, forged in adversity, which tightens a group and offers David Moyes a first significant reference of this tenure. The defense held firm and the goalkeeper brilliantly ensured. The scorer of the evening demonstrated that a clean shot at the right moment can undo an ill-fated evening.
For Manchester United, the pursuit of the project remains open. The team has shown beautiful sequences this season; it missed the opportunity to confirm that night. It will need to respond quickly.
Identity clarification: this concerns Idrissa Gana Gueye (born in 1989, defensive midfielder for Everton), not to be confused with the younger namesake forward.