Everton beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Monday despite extraordinary drama. Idrissa Gueye received a red card for slapping teammate Michael Keane.
Referee Tony Harrington sent off the Senegal midfielder in the 13th minute. Gueye put his hand to Keane’s face following an angry altercation. Gueye became the first Premier League player sent off for fighting a teammate since 2008.
The home crowd anticipated waves of attack. United failed to take advantage against David Moyes’ battling team. The 10-man visitors seized the initiative instead. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored a wonderful strike in the 29th minute. Dewsbury-Hall received the ball midway inside United’s half. He surged towards goal, beating Bruno Fernandes and Leny Yoro. The midfielder bent the ball into the top corner.
United missed injured forwards Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha. They huffed and puffed but could not find an equaliser. United managed 25 shots on goal to Everton’s three. Goalscorer Dewsbury-Hall addressed the red-card incident. He said Gueye had apologised. “It was just a moment of madness,” he told Sky Sports. “It was obviously avoidable. All I can say is Idrissa apologised to us all at half-time.”
Former United boss Moyes celebrated his first win at Old Trafford. He achieved victory as a visiting manager at his 18th attempt. Moyes said he felt “incredibly proud” of his players. “We’ve come close a lot of times,” he said. “But not quite been able to go over the line. Tonight we got over the line with 10 men. That was probably the hardest way to get a good result.” Rúben Amorim marked the first anniversary of his maiden United game. He made several changes in the second half. Amorim frantically searched for an equaliser but his team lacked cutting edge. United dominated possession but remained toothless. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford kept out a powerful Joshua Zirkzee header. The save came with just over 10 minutes remaining. Everton hung on for their first Old Trafford win since 2013. United fans booed their team off the pitch.
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A bitterly disappointed Amorim sought his fifth straight home win. He said his team had lacked intensity. “You can feel right away when we start the game,” he said. “We can feel when we are at top level intensity. We cannot win games in this way.” He added his frustration. “I’m really frustrated with the way we played the game. Especially in our home, understanding what happened this week with other clubs.”
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