An extraordinary incident unfolded during Everton's 1-0 Premier League victory at Manchester United, as midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off in the 13th minute for striking team-mate Michael Keane. The altercation occurred after United's Bruno Fernandes had a scoring opportunity, prompting an argument between Gueye and Keane. Defender Keane reportedly pushed Gueye away twice before the Senegal international retaliated with an open hand to Keane's face. Everton's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford intervened to separate the pair, leading referee Tony Harrington to issue a straight red card to Gueye for violent conduct.

Remarkably, then-Everton manager David Moyes offered a candid and somewhat controversial reaction to the incident. Moyes stated, "Do you know something, I quite like when my players have a fight. I'm sort of saying I want them to be tough. I don't want them to accept someone not doing well enough. Someone didn't do the right thing. If you want a winning team, and that resilience and toughness that got us the result, you have to have players who are going to act that way."

This on-field clash, while uncommon, is not unprecedented in football history. Several notable incidents of team-mates clashing have occurred over the years, often leading to disciplinary action and public apologies.

One such event involved Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller, who was sent off for slapping captain Andy Griffin during a 2-1 defeat at West Ham in December 2008. The incident occurred as Stoke waited to restart play after Carlton Cole scored an equalizer. Fuller, claiming Griffin was "very rude and disrespectful," received a three-match ban, with manager Tony Pulis calling a team meeting to address the matter.

Perhaps one of the most infamous altercations involved Newcastle duo Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer in April 2005. Towards the end of a 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa, Dyer grabbed Bowyer by the throat, and the two traded punches before Gareth Barry separated them. Both players were dismissed by referee Barry Knight – adding to an earlier red card for Steven Taylor – and were later made to apologize publicly by manager Graeme Souness.

Another memorable bust-up saw Graeme Le Saux break his left hand after striking out at David Batty during Blackburn's 3-0 Champions League defeat at Spartak Moscow in November 1995. The dispute began just four minutes into the game when the pair collided while attempting to retrieve a pass. The row quickly escalated from pushing to physical blows, also resulting in skipper Tim Sherwood taking a hit.

More recently, Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and forward Son Heung-min engaged in a heated exchange on the pitch at half-time during a 1-0 Premier League victory over Everton in July 2020. Lloris angrily confronted Son for failing to track back, requiring Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks to separate them. Although the spat continued into the dressing room, the two players embraced after the final whistle, defusing the tension.

Historical records also detail incidents like Charlton strike partners Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan coming to blows during an FA Cup tie against Maidstone in January 1979. The fight reportedly stemmed from Flanagan reacting to Hales not passing to him with a disparaging remark about his team-mate’s genitals, leading to both being sent off.

Similarly, Hearts duo Craig Levein and Graeme Hogg became embroiled in a disagreement during a pre-season friendly at Raith in August 1994. After their team nearly conceded, both men threw punches, with Levein’s punch breaking Hogg’s nose. Hogg was carried off on a stretcher and, along with Levein, was sent off, later receiving 10 and 12-match bans respectively.