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On Monday night, as Idrissa Gueye's palm connected with the cheek of Michael Keane, the Everton star risked awakening an old curse.
Not since Ricardo Fuller spanked Stoke captain Andy Griffin in December 2008 had a player been sent off in the Premier League for striking his old team-mate.
As it happens, Fuller and Griffin never played together again. The latter was ushered out the door in 2010 after a falling-out with manager Tony Pulis.
The tremors from that incident rumbled on publicly for a few days, with Fuller refusing to apologise to his skipper, and David Moyes will be keen to avoid any such scandal with the Toffees.
These aren't the only times team-mates have scrapped, of course. Emmanuel Adebayor once bloodied 'Lord' Nicklas Bendtner's nose at Arsenal in 2008. Craig Bellamy attacked John Arne Riise with a golf club while they were at Liverpool in 2007, though at least that wasn't mid-game.
Daily Mail Sport explores a few of the most dramatic meltdowns between footballing brethren.
Idrissa Gueye's slap on Michael Keane was not the first team-mate fight in English football
Ricardo Fuller was sent off for slapping Stoke captain Andy Griffin (not pictured) in 2008
Bruce Grobbelaar and Steve McManaman, 1993
Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was incandescent when Steve McManaman's feeble clearance gifted Everton the opener in the Merseyside derby in September 1993.
After Mark Ward thumped a strike into the corner, the stopper charged over to McManaman and raged at him.
Tempers exploded when Grobbelaar grabbed the youngster by the jaw and shoved his head backwards.
McManaman landed a two-handed shove in return before clearing off as the Zimbabwean continued to splutter with rage.
Fortunately neither man was sent off but Liverpool slumped to a third straight defeat as Tony Cottee struck late to seal a 2-0 win for the Toffees at Goodison Park.
Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer, 2005
Newcastle men Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer were both sent off after an apoplectic clash at St James' Park in April 2005.
Toon were already losing 3-0 and down to 10 men against Aston Villa when the midfield pair came to blows.
Bowyer has since explained he was fuming that Dyer neglected to pass to him in scoring positions multiple times throughout the game, though he says the feud did not carry on beyond it - something for which Moyes will have his fingers crossed. They were both suspended for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, which the Magpies lost 4-1.
In fairness to them, both seemed deeply ashamed as they apologised to fans in the aftermath.
Manager Graeme Souness couldn't believe what he had seen. 'I think it is a first for me, I have never witnessed that before,' he said. 'Words between players, hard words between players occur in every game of football and it is very unusual for it to lead to what happened today.'
Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer had an explosive clash as Newcastle were pummelled by Aston Villa in 2005
Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner, 2008
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner apparently had a frayed relationship at the best of times and their conflict reached a head in a thrashing by Tottenham in January 2008.
The Gunners were 4-0 down in the League Cup semi-finals at Tottenham - a tie they'd lose 6-2 on aggregate - when Adebayor came on and was allegedly furious that he had to waste his energy and make up for the Dane's shortcomings.
Bendtner, who scored an own goal that game, explained in his 2020 autobiography: Adebayor shouts that it’s my fault he has to come on and waste his energy: "I’m here because you’re playing like s***."
'It’s not especially encouraging, and shortly after when we win a corner, we both seek out the back post. There’s a lot of pushing and jostling, and suddenly we’re fighting each other.
'We push back and forth while the Tottenham players watch in puzzlement. Afterwards, Adebayor claims I gave him the finger, but I don’t remember that.
'What I do remember is him sticking his head forward. That’s the thing with him. He behaves illogically. Completely unpredictably.
'I don’t know if it’s totally deliberate, but it feels like a headbutt right on the bridge of my nose. The blood gushes out and my nose swells up. As if it’s not big enough already.
'William Gallas rushes over and pulls us apart. But Adebayor isn’t done with me. He has to be escorted away while the referee books him.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner came to blows as Arsenal were thrashed by Tottenham in 2008
'When the final whistle is blown, our arch-rivals have won 5-1. It’s our biggest derby defeat in an eternity, and no one on the team can bear it. Of course, personally I blame Adebayor, which is probably overdoing it.
'But I really want to get hold of him for a quiet tete-a-tete, and I guess the feeling is mutual, because one of the coaching staff has to hold him back in the players’ tunnel.
'When we finally clash in the dressing room, we have a lot of s*** to say to each other. Things I wouldn’t be able to utter 12 years later. Neither of us is holding back, and it has consequences. The boss fines us both two weeks’ wages.'
Adebayor avoided a violent conduct charge from the Football Association and apologised, but he was banned for four games and the pair never really got on again.
Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris, 2020
This wasn't the most bloodthirsty but it was shocking to see two of Tottenham's leadership figures at loggerheads in July 2020 - and to hear Jose Mourinho's curious response.
Football wasn't long back after Covid-19 brought the Premier League to a grinding halt when goalkeeper Lloris unleashed his wrath at Son for failing to track back against Everton.
The Frenchman shoved the forward and had to be restrained by no fewer than three team-mates to stop the situation escalating. Son escaped down the tunnel while his assailant continued to hurl abuse.
In the end Spurs won 1-0 anyway and Mourinho was in a philosophical mood.
'It's beautiful. It's a consequence, probably, of our meetings. If you want to blame somebody for that, it's me. I was critical of my boys because they are not in my opinion critical enough with themselves, I asked them to demand more from others, I asked them to put their colleagues under the pressure of the team spirit you have to give.
'There were a couple of bad words, but I think it was something very important for the team to grow up. A team of good boys, a team of nice boys, the only thing they can win at the end of the season is the Fair Play Cup. Something I have never won and have no interest in winning that. My winning teams we had big fights, big fights in the team.'
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris fumed at Son Heung-min after he failed to track back
Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise, 2007
Alright, bit of a cheat one here to end, but it's such a fascinating story that we have to tell it.
February 2007. Liverpool visit Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League. A few days before, Rafael Benitez took the squad to the Algarve to unwind and, as things were in those days, a few beers were had. What happened there means they are no longer friends.
Bellamy was encouraging Riise to sing a karaoke song, after he had swerved one over Christmas, but the full-back refused point-blank.
As Riise recalls in his autobiography: 'Furious, I went over to him: “I’m not singing. Shut the f*** up or else I’m gonna smash you!” He screamed back: “I’m gonna f****** kill you, you ginger c***!'
At that point the Norway star felt it wise to leave, so he went back to the team hotel. But later that night, Bellamy staggered in with an 8-iron he had borrowed from team-mate Steve Finnan.
Riise recalls the following in his autobiography, an account which Bellamy's own memory of events generally lines up with.
'Bellamy raised the club over his head and swung as hard as he could. He tried to hit my shins, which would have ended my career, but I managed to pull my leg away in time.
'I jumped out of bed, pulled off the sheet and held it between us like I was some kind of half-awake matador. Bellamy sputtered: “Nobody disrespects me like that in front of the lads!” He was completely gone.
Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise both scored against Barcelona in 2007, but just days before the former had almost 'ended the career' of the latter in a drunken golf club attack
“I don’t care if I go to jail! My kids have enough money for school and everything. I don’t care. I’ll f****** do you!” He raised the club and swung again. This time he connected. Full force on my hip. I was so pumped with adrenaline that I didn’t feel the pain, but he hit me hard. It was an iron.
'The next blow smashed into my thigh. I tried to hold up the sheet, but he continued to strike. He could seriously injure me.'
In short, Riise challenged him to a fist-fight which was scheduled the next morning, but it never transpired. It was a trip filled with mayhem, with goalkeepers Pepe Reina and Jerzy Dudek both arrested the day after.
But football, in its funny way, works things out. Liverpool won the game against Barcelona 2-1. Bellamy hit the equaliser and celebrated with a golf swing. And who scored the winner? Riise, assisted by the Welshman.
