HEARTFELT APOLOGY: IDRISSA GUEYE APOLOGIZES TO KEANE AND EARNS TEAMMATES' PRAISE IN THE DRESSING ROOM
Idrissa Gueye apologises to Everton teammates after being sent off for slapping Michael Keane. The 10-man Toffees heroically beat Man United 1-0, earning Gueye a dressing room ovation for his remorse.
After Idrissa Gueye's odd red card in Monday's game versus Manchester United, he got a good response from the Everton team when he said he was sorry.
When he struck Michael Keane at Old Trafford, the midfielder became the first Premier League player in 17 years to be ejected for hitting a teammate. To give David Moyes his first win at Old Trafford as a visiting manager in 18 tries and the club's second victory at United in 33 years, Everton played like heroes with just 10 men for 85 minutes, including stoppage time.
Gueye didn't have a chance to speak with Moyes or his teammates at halftime. Later, in the jubilant away locker room after the 1-0 victory, the Senegal international requested to speak to the entire group, including Keane. For slapping the defender in the face, Gueye said he was sorry. A misplaced pass inside his own box by the midfielder, which gave Bruno Fernandes a chance, was the reason for their tense argument in the 13th minute. He also said sorry to the team for giving them a huge challenge at Old Trafford and expressed gratitude for their success. The team responded well to Gueye's remarks and gave him a round of applause.
Even though Moyes admitted that he likes my players fighting each other, Everton may still punish the 36-year-old. The Scot follows a set of rules when it comes to red and yellow cards, which includes fines, and it's probable that this will be used in Gueye's situation.
The new year could arrive without Everton's star midfielder. Gueye will be suspended for three games against Newcastle, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest; however, before he is eligible to play against Chelsea on December 13, Senegal may call him up for Africa Cup of Nations duty. Senegal's opening game is set for December 23, and clubs are free to release players two weeks before a tournament starts. However, Everton has not yet been informed by Senegal of a release date.
Gueye posted an apology on social media as well in response to Everton's extremely amazing victory. He stated, I want to first apologise to Michael Keane. I accept full accountability for my actions. I also apologise to my colleagues, the staff, the supporters, and the club. My actions do not represent who I am or what I believe in. Emotions can get the better of you, but nothing can excuse such conduct. I will see to it that it never occurs again.
Mathijs de Ligt, in the meantime, said United lacked urgency in Monday's defeat, which brought their five-game winning streak to an end. The Dutch defender stated, The Premier League is not for the weak. If they score after one chance and we don't, that makes the difference. The difference between winning and losing is efficiency.
That was lacking in us. We lacked the drive to score goals and create opportunities, and playing a team like Everton, which is strong in the air and falls back, will be extremely challenging. That more or less sums up the evening.
United will play Crystal Palace on Sunday at noon. De Ligt stated, The next game is now very important. We must rally after this performance. We had some strong performances in the last few weeks, but now we have a terrible one. I believe we can all agree on that. Now, it is up to us to return, remain united, and make it clear what needs to be improved.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
_1777914166.webp)
Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
Must Read
