Weston McKennie has revealed details about his on-field battle with Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure during Leeds United's 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park last month.
Seamus Coleman's long-range volley from an acute angle beat Illan Meslier at his near post in the second half to ensure Leeds plummeted into the relegation zone.
Leeds have since climbed above the Toffees and out of the bottom three since Javi Gracia took charge, but Leeds and Everton both received fines for failing to control their players after a melee broke out in front of the away supporters.
McKennie and his midfielder partner Tyler Adams were yellow carded, while Doucoure and Dwight McNeil were booked for the hosts. McKennie has opened up on his verbal battle with Doucoure and how the Everton midfielder threatened to hurt him, only for the USA international to get the better of him in their next duel.
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“Doucoure, me and him were going back and forth. When the fight broke out on the side I was shoving someone, for Tyler’s sake, and he came over and wrapped his whole body around me and pulled me," McKennie told Indirect Podcast.
"I walked away and got the yellow card and I said to him ‘I don’t care if you do that, but do it when I look at you’.
"And he goes like ‘You know, when you get the ball next time, I’ll kill you.’ And I said to him that when you get the ball I’ll kill you too. I was so happy because not long after that we had a 50/50 shoulder-to-shoulder and I bodied him off the ball."
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