Everton beat Man United in EPL despite Gueye seeing red for slapping teammate
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Everton's Idrissa Gueye is held back by Everton's Jordan Pickford as he clashes with teammate Michael Keane (right) and shown a red card by referee Tony Harrington.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANCHESTER, England - Everton enjoyed their first Premier League win at Manchester United for 12 years despite playing virtually the entire game with 10 men after midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off for slapping his own teammate Michael Keane on Monday.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s superb first-half goal sealed a 1-0 win for the visitors, who shrugged off the 13th-minute incident that had Gueye and Keane square up.
United, who could have moved up to fifth with a win, dominated possession, especially in the second half, but Everton defended superbly to repel the hosts who looked blunt in attack.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made several fine saves to preserve his side’s lead, the pick of them to claw away a Joshua Zirkzee header with 10 minutes remaining.
A second away win of the season lifted Everton above city rivals and champions Liverpool into 11th place, level on 18 points with United, who are above them on goal difference.
Everton manager David Moyes had failed to win in 17 previous Premier League matches as an opposition manager at Old Trafford and Everton’s most recent win there, in 2013, came when Moyes was in the home dugout during his brief United reign.
That miserable run had looked like continuing as Everton made a horrible start when defender Seamus Coleman was forced off with an injury after 10 minutes.
Worse was to follow shortly after in a bizarre incident.
After Bruno Fernandes’s shot flashed just wide after a misunderstanding in the Everton defence, a heated argument flared up between Gueye and Keane.
After Keane shoved his teammate, Gueye responded with a slap to the face of the defender, prompting referee Tony Harrington to show him a straight red card, the decision being checked and verified by VAR.
It was the first time a Premier League player had been sent off for an altercation with a teammate since Stoke City’s Ricardo Fuller was dismissed for slapping Andy Griffin during a match at West Ham United in 2008.
At that stage the omens looked bleak for Everton with United never having lost a Premier League game at Old Trafford against opponents who had a player sent off.
Everton responded with the right kind of fight, though, and took the lead in stunning fashion with Dewsbury-Hall cutting in to send a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area past the dive of the slow-to-react Senne Lammens in the 29th minute.
Everton manager David Moyes and players celebrate after the match.
PHOTO: REUTERS
United struggled to make their numerical supremacy count and, but for a Fernandes long-range effort that was saved by Pickford, they offered little in attack before halftime.
The hosts cranked up the pressure after the break as Everton retreated and Bryan Mbeumo was denied by Pickford before Mason Mount flashed a low shot just wide.
Pickford then produced a superb save to claw out Zirkzee’s header and then denied the Dutchman again in a frantic finale. REUTERS
