NafisaBrendan Rodgers was left ‘incensed’ by a late Pape Gueye tackle on Reo Hatate – and exchanged words with the officials as his key player received medical attention.
Rodgers’ Premiership title-winners were on the verge of a 5-1 rout over Aberdeen, who had just gone down to ten men after Alfie Dorrington’s dismissal, with tensions running high among the hosts in the dying minutes.
Gueye launched into a strong challenge on Hatate, who had only recently entered the pitch as a substitute for a heavily-rotated Celtic line-up.
And as the midfielder lay in pain on the ground, Rodgers appeared furious on the sidelines.
Chris Sutton noticed the reaction while on co-commentary, saying: “He’s incensed, Brendan Rodgers.
“He’s saying it’s 50/50 but Gueye goes in with the full force, Hatate’s pulling out. Brendan Rodgers isn’t letting it go.”
Moments later, Rodgers was seen instructing the fourth official to step aside and allow room for the Celtic medics to treat Hatate.
Hatate was later seen limping, with an ice pack secured to his knee at the final whistle.
It could be a setback for the Northern Irishman, who had shuffled his team in an effort to avoid knocks ahead of the Scottish Cup final.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, a clearly irritated Rodgers said: “It was a poor challenge from the guy, he’d obviously lost his head a wee bit at the end. Reo has left his leg there with the ball and the guy’s come right through him. We’ll have to see how he is. But it was a disappointing challenge.”
Nafisa
