Michael Keane's six-word comment to Idrissa Gueye has emerged after the Senegal international was sent off for slapping his Everton teammate in the win over Manchester United.
Gueye confronted Keane in an angry manner in the 13th minute of the clash at Old Trafford after Bruno Fernandes had a shot from outside the area which fizzed just wide.
After an errant pass which lost possession, the two were involved a furious flare-up but while Keane pushed his colleague, Gueye lost his head completely and slapped the defender in the face with his left hand.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star was immediately shown a red card for violent conduct, with the Premier League's Match Centre confirming "a clear strike to the face of Keane".
Advert
With a man less for a good chunk of the game, Everton went on to claim a historic away win courtesy of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who scored the only goal of the game in the 29th minute.
Both Jordan Pickford and Gueye's compatriot Iliman Ndiaye had to usher Gueye away and down the tunnel but only after Keane had given him a piece of his mind.
Pointing to his head, the England international appeared to tell, "Are you f***ing stupid? F*** off."
Everton battled with resilience to beat United 1-0, with the result moving the Toffees up to 11th in the table.
Gueye issues apology
Afterwards, match-winner Dewsbury-Hall revealed that Gueye apologised to the group in the dressing room and "said his piece".
The 36-year-old also issued a public apology online to Keane and the rest of his teammates, while congratulating them for the hard-fought victory.
"I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane," he wrote on his official Instagram account.
"I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for.
"Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour. I'll make sure it never happens again. UTT."
Reacting to the dismissal, manager David Moyes said "I like my players fighting each other if someone didn't do the right action" despite accepting the rules that left Tony Harrington with little choice but to show a red card.
Gueye has played 12 times in the Premier League this season but will now be unavailable for a considerable period. He is poised to serve a three-game ban before heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Catch the Premier League action with Sky’s best ever Black Friday deals
Sky's Essential TV package with Sports is £35 - but for £55 per month you can get the Full Fibre Broadband bundle, its lowest ever price.
Browse their Black Friday deals here
Topics: Michael Keane, Everton, Manchester United
Josh Lawless