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

Rare Situation in English Football

Gueye earned the distinction of being the initial Premier League player to be dismissed for hitting a fellow player in nearly two decades when he slapped his defensive colleague during the fixture. Everton's performance was heroic as they played with a man down for the majority of the game, including stoppage time, to secure David Moyes' first win at Old Trafford as a away coach in multiple tries.

'My first apology goes to Michael Keane,' he wrote on his accounts. 'I take full responsibility for my reaction.'

Dressing Room Reaction

Gueye did not get an chance to speak with Moyes or his teammates at half-time. Following the match, with the visitors' locker room buzzing after the narrow victory, the 36-year-old asked to speak to the entire group and the defender in particular.

• He expressed regret to Keane for striking him across the face
• The intense 13th-minute altercation 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

Potential Consequences

The 36-year-old could still be disciplined by the club despite the manager's statement that he likes his players competing with each other. The Scot has a regular punishment process for red and yellow cards, including fines, which is expected to be applied in this situation.

Ban and International Duty

Everton may find themselves without their influential player until the new year. The Senegalese international will serve a three-game ban against Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest but could be called up for Africa Cup of Nations duty by his national team before he can return to play against Chelsea on mid-December.

'Passions can sometimes overflow,' he added. 'However, there's no excuse for such conduct.'

Rival Reaction

At the same time, Mathijs de Ligt claimed United of showing no immediacy in Monday's defeat, which halted their winning streak at multiple matches.

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

The Red Devils head to Selhurst Park for Sunday's noon kickoff. 'The next game is really important now,' said the defender. 'We must recover strongly from this display.'