Whilst there were smiles and handshakes aplenty, Philippe Clement and Brendan Rodgers couldn’t have been further apart on the referee spectrum come full time.
The Rangers manager saw his side bounce back from a 2-0 deficit to stun Celtic before a late, late show saw the club rescue a point after our Old Firm rivals had immediately gone in front again.
In one of the best Old Firm derbies of the modern era, the result has blown the Scottish Premiership title race wide open.
Rangers can now go top with a Scottish Premiership win over Dundee on Wednesday evening but before that we’re unpacking the fall out from Ibrox less than 24 hours on from yesterday’s tense battle.
Here, we run through all the big refereeing calls in Rangers v Celtic and assess whether it’s Philippe Clement or Brendan Rodgers who got it right at full-time.
Connor Goldson handball – correct
After surrendering the lead within 24 seconds of the match, Rangers looked a shellshocked team against an encouraged Celtic.
Gers captain James Tavernier was criticised by Philippe Clement come full-time for his role in Daizen Maeda’s opener and from there on Rangers were rocked.
Celtic, to their credit, were a focused and fluid team in that opening 45 and as the pressure mounted on Rangers another Ibrox leader in Connor Goldson was to flap in front of goal.
First mis-hitting a free header in the Celtic box, the Rangers defender was then adjudged to have handled the ball in the Gers area before John Beaton carried out a VAR review.
Matt O’Riley would go to cooly dink the penalty into the net and Rangers had a self-constructed mountain to climb going into half time.
There remains questions over Rangers’ leadership duo but did John Beaton and his team get the decision right? Here’s what Philippe Clement and Brendan Rodgers had to say:
Clement: “I think every manager in the world, every player in the world, wants this rule to be changed.
“Because I know with the rule it’s a penalty now, but if a ball is brought in at that speed in front of goal and it’s touched by the head and it’s deflected and you jump up and that moment you see that it’s deflected you want to take your arm away but it touches your arm, with the rules now, it’s a penalty.
“So I have nothing to say about the decision about the referee, or VAR, or anything, but everybody who is playing football say, ‘phew, too many penalties are given in that without a good purpose for it’.”
Rodgers: “Obviously the arm is up for our penalty so it’s out of that body line or whatever words they use, I’m not sure.
“So it looked a penalty.”
Fabio Silva penalty – correct
This call more than any other has polarised Rangers and Celtic fans, and by proxy the Rangers and Celtic managers.
You’ll be unsurprised to hear that whilst Philippe Clement thinks it was a penalty, Brendan Rodgers was smarting come full-time.
The Celtic boss reckons that call swung the momentum of the game with the Celtic fall-out in the aftermath orchestrated by none other than Parkhead cheerleader Chris Sutton.
The Fabio Silva penalty call – for anyone with a pair of eyes – is quite clearly the correct one.
Whilst Fabio Silva’s simulation was an embarrassment throughout his time on the pitch, Alistair Johnston is late and clumsy with the challenge and connects with the Portuguese’s knee.
Yes, the Rangers forward is exaggerating the pain of the incident but in the same vein as someone not going to ground under a bad challenge and missing out on a penalty, the call is the right one here.
Just because Silva is leaning into throwing himself on the deck, it doesn’t excuse Johnston’s clumsy challenge and they can say what they want, but it’s a penalty every day of the week.
James Tavernier would go on to ruthlessly dispatch the spot kick into the top corner.
What’s more, the Masonic referees have somehow conspired to both cheat in Rangers’ favour whilst awarding a Celtic penalty and chopping off a contentious Gers goal via VAR.
Does it not get tiring Bhoys?
Clement: “I think if somebody kicks your knee, phew, if that’s not a penalty any more OK yeah but everybody can have his opinion.
“I thought the referee and the VAR did really good job today although I was disappointed not getting this goal because of the small foul in the first half. And then this penalty situation of Connor, so I think we have much more reason to be unhappy about things but we are not because the referee and the VAR did a good job today and if it’s the case we have to say so also.”
Rodgers: “The penalty changes the momentum of the game slightly for us in the second half.
“I think it was a good decision on the pitch. When you watch it back on the replays it’s really good recovery defending by Ali Johnston.
“He’s going one way and you can see he gets a nick on the ball, plays it away and obviously then the player has gone down and obviously looking to simulate the penalty.
“I thought that sort of gave them a little lift in the game having us been much the better team.”
Cyriel Dessers’ disallowed goal – contentious
Whilst the Fabio Silva penalty decision is the focus of green and white attentions, Rangers have a case to be aggrieved when it comes to Cyriel Dessers’ disallowed goal.
The big forward put in a tireless display to lead the Rangers frontline and narrowly missed out on his first Old Firm goal at Ibrox.
Having put the ball into the back of the net, the goal was disallowed, quite astonishingly, for a foul 60 or 70m back on the pitch at the beginning of play.
John Beaton was looking right at the tackle and adjudged it tough but fair. VAR disagreed.
When Beaton was sent to the monitor the referee overturned the goal but really Rangers look to have a big case for feeling aggrieved.
It’s a soft foul in any instance and something tells us Celtic got lucky here because Rangers had their tails up with the bulk of the second half to play.
It’s certainly not clear and obvious, is it?
Clement: “It could’ve been a victory also today, eh? And we’re really unlucky about that.
“Again, it’s a small fault yes, it’s a little bit disappointing that it’s 60m or 70m away from the goal but those are the rules so VAR did a good in that although I would’ve preferred they didn’t do a good job in that way, but it is what it is.”
Rodgers: “Their disallowed goal was a foul, I think we could see that.
“And John (Beaton) seen that afterwards.”
