THE FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CLUB …
When Jordan Pickford’s time as England and Everton’s eternal No 1 comes to its end, a career in peacekeeping, or failing that, manning the doors back in Sunderland, may await. As Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane, teammates let us recall, went for each other at Old Trafford in full hold-me-back, hold-me-back mode, in stepped Pickford’s strong hands. Too late, it turned out. By then, Tony Harrington, the referee, had reached for his red card. Harrington had seen Gueye slap Keane, and the PGMO (no L these days, all you pedants) doesn’t agree with that in the workplace.
All rather negligible, less the type of dry slap Frank Butcher used to threaten any EastEnders tormentors with than a playground, petulant clip, something and nothing. Still, the blow had landed, and so the video assistant could do little more than agree with Harrington’s call. Compared to Lee Bowyer v Kieron Dyer 2005, Graeme Le Saux v David Batty 1995 or even, in 1993, Steve McManaman taking one in the chops from Bruce Grobbelaar and landing one back, there hadn’t been too much in it. Though had Pickford, Wearside’s answer to Jane Fonda, not stepped in, it could have escalated. The red mist was at its thickest between Keane and Gueye once the decision had been taken. Thus, Gueye became the first Premier League player dismissed for clouting a teammate since Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller was red-carded for lamping Andy Griffin in 2008, a forgotten, underground classic of the genre.
How best to defuse the situation? Everton found the answer by beating Manchester United with a display of calm, measured defending. Those Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool and Stoke teams all lost. David Moyes was able to fully exercise the “men, at it” school of justification. “I like my players fighting each other,” he roared. “If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.” He had intensely enjoyed winning at the place where his name entered an infamy that no longer holds. All those who have managed United since wound up just as hollowed out and insensible. As for an apologetic Gueye, he received a round of applause for his post-match declaration of regret.
Meanwhile, following a truly incompetent display of exerting a numerical advantage over an opponent, a familiar gloom descended on Old Trafford. Here was further evidence Ruben Amorim will stick to that 3-4-3 formation – five at the back, in truth, for most of the game – in whatever circumstance his team finds itself. United, when they might be expected to batter down the door, made only polite enquiries that Everton, with Keane particularly outstanding and Pickford equal to the increasingly desperate potshots aimed at the goal, dealt with expertly. “We need to be perfect to win games,” groaned Amorim. “We were not perfect today.” After stating the bleeding obvious, he offered Everton sympathy for the red card decision. “Fighting is not a bad thing.” As long as it is done in a 3-4-3 formation.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Jon Scott Murray at 8pm GMT for Bigger Cup updates on Chelsea 3-3 Barcelona, while Rob Smyth will be taking Marseille 1-0 Newcastle and Manchester City 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen into his clockwatch at the same time.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I was taking 38 pills per day. I maybe played more than 700 professional games, and when people ask: ‘how many games did you play where you felt 100% fit?’ I would probably say maybe five. Throughout my career, I was constantly reaching for painkillers – it was part of the job. At that level, sometimes even if you’re injured, you don’t have a choice but to play” – Patrice Evra reveals how reliant he was on medication to get through matches in his playing career and how his experience prompted him to invest in an anti-inflammatory product derived from turmeric.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I see Spurs have signed the perfect ‘global partner’ for fans who found themselves pulling their hair out as the fourth Arsenal goal went in on Sunday: Turkish hair-transplant company Elithair. Sometimes, you just have to look in the mirror and acknowledge the bald truth of your shortcomings” – Justin Kavanagh.
Re: Patrick Connolly (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). Mate being responsible for a player not being able to perform at their best? I didn’t even know Ange Postecoglou had managed the Portland Timbers” – Derek McGee.
Will Leo Messi and Inter Miami winning a playoff game mean they will now be invited to participate in the World Cup finals next summer?” – Martyn Shapter.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Justin Kavanagh. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.
RECOMMENDED LOOKING
Here’s David Squires on the north London derby that was.
RECOMMENDED WATCHING
The Football Weekly podcast is now available to watch in high-definition video. Well, on YouTube. Get viewing here!
• This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
