10- Man Everton Beat Manchester United Despite Bizarre Gueye Red Card

A year to the day since Ruben Amorim fielded his first Manchester United XI, his latest iteration folded in capitulation to 10-man Everton, who ended United’s unbeaten run at five games.

Idrissa Gueye’s bizarre walking orders for slapping Michael Keane, his centre-back, gave United most of the match to overcome Everton, who had previously won once at Old Trafford in 32 years before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s 20-yard strike gave David Moyes a first victory here as a visiting manager in the Premier League.

Towards the end Joshua Zirzkee twice directed headers that forced Jordan Pickford into flying saves but these were rare moments of potency from United.

Yet again Amorim’s team were disjointed and if they are to threaten a Champions League place the head coach has much more fixing to do.

United’s 19 goals for and 18 conceded faced off against Everton’s 12 and 13 respectively, so the hope was that this might be a thriller if not a festival of finishing.

Twelve months on from his debut, a 1-1 draw at Ipswich, Amorim’s anniversary team showed six survivors – Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt and Casemiro – as Benjamin Sesko’s knee injury gave Zirkzee a first start of the season.

Moyes’s headline selection was Séamus Coleman, 37, whose last league start was in May. His welcome back was to be turned and left a slouch by Diallo’s trickery on the wing.

United, too, were left facing goal when Iliman Ndiaye, Everton’s top scorer, ran in behind along the right. His cross removed Senne Lammens from the picture but the home goalkeeper was relieved to see Leny Yoro head clear.

Another fluid move from Moyes’s men ended with Dewsbury-Hall finding Ndiaye, who this time shot and blazed wide. Coleman’s night was ended inside 10 minutes by a hamstring problem that took him straight down the tunnel; Jake O’Brien replaced the captain.

Next, bedlam from Everton, Gueye pressing the self-destruct button in a bizarre incident. Bryan Mbeumo burst into the area, lost the ball and, after Fernandes’s effort went wide, Gueye approached Michael Keane, who pushed him away.

One pitter-pat slap of his teammate’s cheek later and the referee, Tony Harrington, produced the red card for violent conduct, and off went the defensive midfielder, to his blushes, and the watching Stretford End’s glee. Pickford had to restrain him from having another pop at the towering Keane.

Idrissa Gueye slaps Michael Keane in the face, earning himself a red card in the process. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

United had 77 minutes left to take advantage of their extra man, but from a corner moments later still allowed the bright Ndiaye to break downfield before Diallo, scrambling back, intervened.

United were fragmented, Fernandes’s ball hoofed towards Patrick Dorgu as emblematic as Dewsbury-Hall’s opener.

The Everton midfielder received in acres of space, shrugged off a sleepwalking Fernandes, made a mug of Yoro and fired a rocket past Lammens high into the net.

United played like they were a man down and, when Zirkzee’s smart break was followed by a scything ball in from the right, Dorgu, from a tight angle, spooned wide. It was a sign of their conviction-deficit.