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Idrissa Gueye was given a round of applause from his Everton teammates after issuing an apology for his extraordinary dismissal during Monday's victory at Manchester United.

Unprecedented Incident in English Football

The midfielder earned the distinction of being the first Premier League player to be sent off for hitting a fellow player in 17 years when he slapped his defensive colleague during the fixture. Everton's display was heroic as they played with 10 men for the majority of the game, including stoppage time, to achieve David Moyes' initial victory at Old Trafford as a away coach in multiple tries.

'My first apology goes to Michael Keane,' Gueye stated on his accounts. 'I accept complete responsibility for my actions.'

Team Response

Gueye was unable to secure an opportunity to speak with Moyes or his colleagues at the interval. Afterwards, with the visitors' locker room buzzing after the narrow victory, the veteran requested to address the entire group and Keane specifically.

• He expressed regret to the defender for striking him across the face
• The intense 13th-minute confrontation occurred after a poor distribution in his own defensive third
• Additionally he apologized to the team for putting them with a difficult challenge
• His apology were positively accepted by the players

Possible Consequences

The 36-year-old may yet be punished by the club despite the manager's admission that he likes his team members fighting with each other. Moyes has a standard disciplinary procedure for red and yellow cards, including financial penalties, which is expected to be implemented in this situation.

Suspension and International Duty

Everton could be without their influential midfielder until the new year. Gueye will serve a three-game ban against Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest but might be selected for Africa Cup of Nations duty by his national team before he becomes eligible to play against the Blues on mid-December.

'Passions can sometimes overflow,' he added. 'But nothing justifies such behaviour.'

Rival Reaction

At the same time, Mathijs de Ligt claimed his team of showing no immediacy in the recent loss, which halted their winning streak at multiple matches.

• 'English football doesn't tolerate weakness,' said the Dutch defender
• 'We were missing the necessary intensity to find the net'
• 'Against a team like Everton,' who drop back it's difficult

The Red Devils travel to Selhurst Park for Sunday's noon kickoff. 'The next game is really important now,' said the defender. 'We have to bounce back from this performance.'