Astana Pro Team's Lutsenko was on the brink of winning and began celebrating before being overtaken by UAE Team Emirates' Pogačar at the conclusion of the 162 kilometres route from Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet.

"It was amazing," Pogačar was reported as saying by Eurosport.

"We went really fast into the corner, so I lost a bit of speed, and Lutsenko passed me. 

"It was a full sprint to the finish and I threw the bike on the line to get five [more] centimetres. 

"I’m really happy."

Yates, who rides for Mitchelton-Scott, clocked the same time as the top two – 3 hours 48min 53sec – to finish third and keep hold of his advantage in the overall standings.

His combined time now stands at 20:35:04.

Pogačar is 1:01 behind in second, while Lutsenko is a further 32 seconds back in third.

France's David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ, who was also involved in the five-way sprint to the line, is fourth.

Tomorrow’s stage will cover 160km from Al Ruwais to Al Mirfa.

The race is then due to conclude in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (February 29).