diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php
index 774f65fba4..90b1970f4b 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Formatter/OutputFormatter.php
@@ -150,6 +150,10 @@ class OutputFormatter implements OutputFormatterInterface
             $pos = $match[1];
             $text = $match[0];
 
+            if (0 != $pos && '\\' == $message[$pos - 1]) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             // add the text up to the next tag
             $output .= $this->applyCurrentStyle(substr($message, $offset, $pos - $offset));
             $offset = $pos + strlen($text);
@@ -164,9 +168,6 @@ class OutputFormatter implements OutputFormatterInterface
             if (!$open && !$tag) {
                 // </>
                 $this->styleStack->pop();
-            } elseif ($pos && '\\' == $message[$pos - 1]) {
-                // escaped tag
-                $output .= $this->applyCurrentStyle($text);
             } elseif (false === $style = $this->createStyleFromString(strtolower($tag))) {
                 $output .= $this->applyCurrentStyle($text);
             } elseif ($open) {
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php
index bdaf36caef..d122f71161 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Formatter/OutputFormatterTest.php
@@ -101,6 +101,11 @@ class OutputFormatterTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
             "(\033[32mz>=2.0,<a2.3\033[0m)",
             $formatter->format('(<info>'.$formatter->escape('z>=2.0,<a2.3').'</info>)')
         );
+
+        $this->assertEquals(
+            "\033[32m<error>some error</error>\033[39m",
+            $formatter->format('<info>'.$formatter->escape('<error>some error</error>').'</info>')
+        );
     }
 
     public function testDeepNestedStyles()