Jens Berthel Askou has argued that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should have been sent off during Motherwell’s 3-1 defeat at Celtic Park, insisting a crunching early challenge on Elijah Just could have ended the New Zealand midfielder’s World Cup campaign before it begins.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was booked in the seventh minute for a late tackle that left Just visibly shaken, and Askou said he could not understand why referee John Beaton was not sent to the monitor to review it. He was also frustrated that Oxlade-Chamberlain escaped further punishment later in the match after fouling Ibrahim Said in what the Motherwell manager felt could have merited a second yellow card.
Askou was measured in his language, describing the initial challenge as clumsy and coincidental rather than deliberate, but said the potential consequences made it all the more important that the officials take a closer look. Just managed to play on for more than 70 minutes, but Askou said the midfielder was in considerable pain afterward, with visible swelling on his leg and looking, in his manager’s words, as though he had been at war. He was grateful Just had been able to continue, while remaining baffled by the decision not to review the tackle via VAR.
On the penalty that changed the match, Askou was more accepting. He acknowledged that Emmanuel Longelo had held Daizen Maeda for too long and that while both players were wrestling for position, Longelo needed to manage the situation better. He said Longelo would be gutted with himself. The red card and penalty together gave Celtic a significant advantage at a point when Motherwell had been in good control and were building toward a strong finish.
Askou was proud of how his side responded to the double punishment, continuing to press and attempt to win the game rather than retreating. He felt the match had been a genuine contest between two teams playing the kind of football worth watching, and was satisfied with the character shown even after going down to ten men. The third Celtic goal ultimately made the task impossible, but he had no criticism of the effort or attitude his players showed throughout.