Despite Paul Tierney – the video assistant referee – taking a look at the incident, Fernandes escaped any form of punishment, including not even being brandished with a yellow card.
The Portuguese midfielder, who has been in outstanding form for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, could count himself incredibly lucky not to have been punished for the incident as the force of the tackle could have easily led to Xhaka being forced off and requiring a spell on the sidelines.
Fortunately, the Switzerland international was able to continue alongside Thomas Partey in the centre of midfield.
In the aftermath of the incident, unsurprisingly, Arsenal’s fans were left furious with the officials’ decision not to punish Fernandes for the tackle, with the Gunners faithful, watching on TV at home, far from impressed with the decision.
Quickly, Arsenal fans soon started to vent their anger on social media, with some insisting that had the incident been the other way round, Xhaka would have seen red.
Here, has taken a close look at what some Arsenal fans have had to say on Twitter…
Had Fernandes seen red for the incident, it would have meant he would have been forced to serve a three-match suspension, which could have had a huge impact on the title race.
