Ten-man Everton held on for a rare and quite amazing Old Trafford victory after Idrissa Gueye was sent off for striking team-mate Michael Keane after just 13 minutes against Manchester United.
In quite incredible scenes, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to hold Gueye back as he took exception to a few choice words from Keane after Everton had defended a United attack.
Gueye got near enough to slap Keane on the cheek. The action triggered a red card from referee Tony Harrington and more choice words from Keane, who angrily gestured for Gueye to get off the pitch.
It was an incident reminiscent of when Lee Bowyer and Kieran Dyer had to be separated as they were sent off for fighting with each other during their Newcastle days.
Gueye’s red card was part of a calamitous opening for the visitors, who also lost skipper Seamus Coleman to injury just 10 minutes into his first league start of the season.
Staggeringly, against a United side who knew victory would take them fifth in the table and on a ground where they have won once since August 1992, Everton then went in front when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall surged to the edge of the area, then sent a curling effort past goalkeeper Senne Lammens into the top corner.
Predictably, United swarmed all over their opponents looking for a way back into the contest but the equaliser would not come as Everton became the first away team to win a Premier League game at Old Trafford despite having a man sent off.
It was also a night of glory for former United boss David Moyes, who won at this stadium as an opposition manager in the Premier League for the first time.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye is held back by Jordan Pickford after being sent off for striking team-mate Michael Keane
Manchester United analysis: One step forward, two steps back
On the one-year anniversary of his first match in charge of United, this night underlines why, for all the improvement this season, Ruben Amorim still has some way to go to get close to the levels of consistency he demands.
Defeat brought his side’s five-match unbeaten run to an end and triggered sustained boos at the final whistle
Facing 10 men and with a chance to move into the Champions League places in the table, the home side needed to be calm and secure in possession. They were the opposite.
Joshua Zirkzee, who was ineffective as starting replacement for injured pair Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, gave the ball away needlessly more than once. He was not on his own as Patrick Dorgu and Leny Yoro also lost possession under no pressure as United tried to build attacking momentum.
United’s most reliable attacking players, Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes, tested Pickford and substitute Mason Mount came close with a curling effort.
But it was not until Zirkzee sent a header goalwards 11 minutes from time from Luke Shaw’s cross that Pickford was called into an action that could not be classed as routine.
Matthijs de Ligt scored an injury-time equaliser at Tottenham a fortnight ago. When United’s last chance offered the Dutchman an opportunity to repeat, there was not enough power for his shot to cause Pickford a worry.
