Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye became just the fourth Premier League player to be sent off for a clash with a teammate on Monday night.
Manchester United hosted the Toffees in a Premier League contest and the home team were given a helping hand early on.
After just 13 minutes Gueye argued with teammate Michael Keane and things got physical.
it wasn’t clear what happened at first but as they argued, Keane shoved the midfielder away and Gueye responded with a slap to the centre-back’s face.
It was hardly blood-curdling violence, but the referee had no hesitation in flashing a red card in Gueye’s direction as he was dragged away from the altercation by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
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It was a monumentally stupid thing to do and it is no surprise that it has happened very rarely in the history of the Premier League.
As confirmed on Sky Sports, Gueye’s sending off is just the fourth in the division for an altercation with a teammate, and two came in the same incident.
Lee Bowyer vs Kieron Dyer
The most famous example of Premier League friendly fire came in the notorious scrap between Newcastle’s Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer in 2005.
During a match against Aston Villa at St James’ Park, Bowyer became infuriated as he believed Dyer was refusing to pass to him and lost his head completely.
Bowyer was the aggressor but the pair’s fisticuffs saw them both sent off.
Newcastle manager at the time Graeme Souness said: ‘I think Lee Bowyer is indefensible. I think he is guilty, as the pictures show, of throwing more than one punch and he has to accept whatever punishment comes his way.
‘But Kieron, we feel, has an argument here. I have seen the incident once on television and I have been assured by Kieron that he did not throw any punches.
‘But there will be internal discipline, that goes without saying.’
Speaking in 2020, Dyer said: ‘He [Souness] came in [after the game] and said “I’m going to fight the pair of you. I’m going to watch it back then fight the pair of you”.
‘When you talk about Premier League moments, that is one of the things that sticks out. More people ask about that than the performances on the pitch but Lee was a fiery character, he was a great friend and someone I still speak to.
‘We never had any fallouts before, we were passionate and losing 3-0. Tempers flare over sometimes.’
Ricardo Fuller
In December 2008, Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller slapped his captain Andy Griffin during a match against West Ham.
Fuller was set to take the kick-off after West Ham equalised, but then walked back to have a pop at Griffin for his role in the goal and then hit the defender in the face.
Manager Tony Pulis said: ‘The funny thing is Rick and Griff get on very well. They even had a party over Christmas at which they exchanged shirts.
‘But Rick is a very volatile person and I can’t condone what he did. I’ve watch the incident on TV and he walks up and clips him on the chin. I’ll have a team meeting on Monday and I’ll deal with him then.’