Daniel Lewis

Mon 4 September 2023 9:40, UK

Robbie Savage insists the goal scored by Kemar Roofe for Rangers should have stood as he hit back at a Celtic fan on his BBC Radio 5 Live Sport phone-in.

Roofe fired the Gers ahead in Sunday’s [3 September] Old Firm derby at Ibrox, only for referee Don Robertson to rule out the goal after being asked by VAR to check the pitchside monitor.

Cyriel Dessers was adjudged to have fouled Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke prior to playing in Roofe, but Savage believes the officials got the decision wrong.

In response to a Celtic supporter stating Lagerbielke had his leg taken away from him as he attempted to kick the ball, Savage said on Sunday’s [3 September] 606 show: “That goal is a goal. It wasn’t taken away. He kicked Dessers.”

When it was put to Savage that Lagerbielke’s movement was impeded, the Welshman responded: “Oh come on. Come on. Let me ask you a question: Was it a clear and obvious error?

“It’s never, ever a foul.”

Wrong call

The general consensus from those outside of the Old Firm divide is that Roofe’s goal should have been allowed to stand.

Not only was it not a foul, it was also – as Savage points out – not a clear and obvious error made by Robertson, so he should never have been asked to reconsider his decision.

The suggestion that Lagerbielke’s leg was taken away from him did not even appear to come into the officials’ thoughts – it was more a case of whether Dessers shoved him off the ball.

To make matters worse, that was pretty much as good as things got for the Gers on a day to forget as Kyogo Furuhashi put Celtic in front before half-time and that was that.

Wrong decisions such as this one can make such a huge difference come the end of the season, especially in a fixture of this magnitude.

And it may just be that Michael Beale pays the ultimate price should he lose his job over the coming weeks.

In other Rangers news, BBC Scotland’s Tom English has given his view on the disallowed goal incident.