Former referee Keith Hackett has called on Scottish football’s head of referees Willie Collum to examine a penalty incident that he believes was wrongly overlooked during Sunday’s Old Firm draw at Ibrox.
Rangers had led 2-0 thanks to Youssef Chermiti’s first-half brace before Celtic mounted a spirited comeback. Kieran Tierney’s header pulled one back, and the equaliser arrived when Daizen Maeda’s goal-bound header struck the arm of Dujon Sterling in the box. A penalty was awarded, and although Jack Butland saved Reo Hatate’s spot kick and the immediate rebound, the substitute forced the ball home at the third attempt to level matters.
The result leaves Celtic within touching distance of Rangers in the Premiership table, and a win over Aberdeen in their game in hand on Wednesday would see them leapfrog their city rivals.
Hackett, however, believes Celtic may have had a case for a second penalty earlier in the second half. The incident involved Sterling and Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti on the left side of the box, where Sterling appeared to grab hold of Tounekti’s shirt while attempting to shield the ball out of play for a Rangers goal kick. Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett said he hopes Collum will look into the incident and seek an explanation from the referee and VAR as to why what he regards as a clear penalty was not given. He described it as a straightforward foul, with the defender holding and impeding his opponent.
Referee John Beaton had a busy afternoon, though he issued only three yellow cards despite a number of physical exchanges throughout the match and a flare-up involving players from both sides after the final whistle. Don Robertson will take charge of the Scottish Cup rematch between the two sides at Ibrox the following Sunday.
While both Glasgow clubs were left to reflect on a share of the spoils, Hearts were the real beneficiaries of the weekend’s results. They beat Aberdeen 1-0 at Tynecastle on Saturday to extend their lead at the top for the second successive weekend. Celtic now trail the Jambos by eight points, though the game in hand against Aberdeen on Wednesday offers an opportunity to reduce that gap.
Martin O’Neill acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing his side, describing it as a mountain to climb every week with fixtures running out. He was clear that Wednesday’s trip to Aberdeen will not be straightforward, but insisted Celtic are still very much in the title race and that a win there would be a significant step forward.