EVERTON, playing with 10 men for most of the match, held on for a rare and stunning 1-0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford tonight after Idrissa Gueye was sent off for striking team-mate Michael Keane after just 13 minutes.
In shocking scenes, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to hold Gueye back as he took exception to a few choice words from Keane after Everton had defended a United attack.
Gueye got near enough to slap Keane on the cheek. The action triggered a red card from referee Tony Harrington and more choice words from Keane, who angrily gestured for Gueye to get off the pitch.
It was an incident reminiscent of when Lee Bowyer and Kieran Dyer had to be separated as they were sent off for fighting with each other during their Newcastle days.
Gueye’s red card was part of a calamitous opening for the visitors, who also lost skipper Seamus Coleman to injury just 10 minutes into his first league start of the season.
Staggeringly, against a United side who knew victory would take them fifth in the table and on a ground where they have won once since August 1992, Everton then went in front when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall surged to the edge of the area, then sent a curling effort past goalkeeper Senne Lammens into the top corner.
Predictably, United swarmed all over their opponents looking for a way back into the contest but the equaliser would not come as Everton became the first away team to win a Premier League game at Old Trafford despite having a man sent off.
It was also a night of glory for former United boss David Moyes, who won at this stadium as an opposition manager in the Premier League for the first time.
Everton are also the first visiting team in Premier League history to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford having had a man sent off.
With the result, Everton climbed above champions Liverpool to 11th in the table, level on points with Manchester United in 10th.