NafisaKeith Hackett has stated that Alistair Johnston ought to have been dismissed during Celtic’s 3-1 Old Firm derby win over Rangers on Sunday.
The Hoops dramatically flipped the contest on its head after falling 1-0 behind early on, with Hyun-Jun Yang levelling the score before Daizen Maeda struck twice to complete the turnaround.
In the end, it was a comfortable afternoon for the hosts. However, the encounter could very easily have unfolded in a completely different manner.
There was debate surrounding Celtic’s equaliser, along with Johnston’s reckless first-half challenge.
On the latter incident, Keith Hackett was swift to insist that the Celtic defender should have seen red in what he described as a contentious Celtic triumph.
Keith Hackett: Alistair Johnston should have been sent off vs Rangers:
Late in the opening half, both sides were competing fiercely for a goal before the interval.
A series of strong tackles were being thrown in, with Johnston’s challenge standing out as the most severe.
The full-back slid in and did make contact with the ball, but also collided heavily with Moore in the follow-through.
The Celtic defender’s studs clearly struck the winger just above the ankle with significant force.
Despite this, Nick Walsh only judged it to be worthy of a yellow card, with VAR opting not to advise a review.
After examining the incident, Hackett exclusively told Football Insider that a sending off should have been issued.
He said: “The Celtic player should have received a red card for this Serious Foul Play challenge. Did the VAR have the viewing angle that was shown in the TV Studio in the halftime analysis?
“On first viewing, it was a yellow, but on the angle shown, it is excessive force, endangering the safety of the opponent, the landing area on the lower part of his opponent’s leg.”
Old Firm derby continues to have controversies:
In the previous Old Firm meeting, Hackett exclusively told Football Insider that points deductions could have been considered after supporters invaded the pitch following the Scottish Cup outcome.
While nothing of that nature occurred on Sunday, Rangers will undoubtedly feel aggrieved with several key decisions going against them.
The club have now formally missed out on Champions League qualification, with Danny Rohl coming under significant scrutiny after three straight defeats.
However, it remains to be seen whether the manager can recover from what has been a deeply disappointing conclusion to the season.
Nafisa
