Ruben Dias avoids red card! How Man City defender swerved dismissal despite kicking out at Arsenal's Ben White - explained

• Man City hosting Arsenal in crunch match
• Hosts led 2-0 at the break
• Dias clashes with White before half-time

WHAT HAPPENED? Tempers frayed at the end of the first half of Manchester City's title showdown with Arsenal. White bundled Dias over and then attempted to kick the ball out from under his legs. Dias responded by kicking out at the Arsenal defender right in front of the assistant referee, sparking a melee involving both sets of players. Referee Michael Oliver opted to show a yellow card to Dias but refrained from sending him off.

WHY WASN'T DIAS SENT OFF? The decision not to send off Dias came as something of a surprise. Former referee Mark Clattenburg told BT Sport that Dias's challenge wasn't forceful enough to merit a straight red card.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Manchester City headed into the break with a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones. De Bruyne then added a third after the break. Victory for the Cityzens in the game will see them cut the gap to leaders Arsenal to just two points. Pep Guardiola's side also have two games in hand on the Gunners.

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WHAT NEXT? Manchester City will continue their title challenge on Sunday against Fulham at Craven Cottage.