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Tempers boiled over in a controversial Manchester derby.

Manchester United supporters will be anxious about captain Bruno Fernandes after he was involved in the mayhem during the Manchester derby.

Fernandes and Phil Foden were involved in a first-half altercation near the left touchline after the ball had gone out of play, with Foden ending up on the ground.

Fernandes, the United skipper, appeared to kick the Manchester City forward, who then responded with a two-legged kick towards Fernandes’ stomach, leading referee Michael Oliver to send the England international off in the 23rd minute.

Enzo Maresca and Manchester City fans were left stunned by the call, while Fernandes escaped punishment and was fortunate not to be shown even a yellow card for his role in the incident.

Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane, the former Manchester United midfielder, acknowledged that the Red Devils captain was lucky to avoid being booked.

"I'm guessing it's classed as violent conduct, but to me Bruno's the one who's violent here,” he said.

“Did the player give the referee a chance [to send him off]? Foden's a bit daft here, but so is Bruno.

"If Bruno got sent off for that and nothing happened with Foden then we'd be saying, 'Bruno was a bit daft, a bit silly'.

“People say there's tension and it's a big game, but you've got to look out for your team-mates and the opposition players as well.

"Foden, I don't think it's a red card."

It is unlikely.

Although players can be hit with retrospective action after matches, reviews by governing bodies and panels are generally reserved for incidents that match officials have not seen.

As Fernandes’ kick on Foden formed part of the same passage of play that was checked by VAR following the initial red card, the Football Association cannot intervene to effectively re-referee the incident or impose a punishment on the United No. 8.