Dermot Gallagher drops verdict as footage emerges of controversy in Rangers v Celtic
Dermot Gallagher believes the referee made a “clear mistake” during the Rangers defeat to Celtic when he awarded John Lundstram a yellow card initially.
The Gers were beaten 2-1 at Celtic Park to all but concede the SPFL title for another year, with 30-year-old Lundstram having an “all-time stinker” after scoring an own goal and being sent off before half-time.
Willie Collum initially gave him a yellow card for the tackle on Alistair Johnston, before VAR intervention saw him overturn it to a red upon review, and Gallagher told Sky Sports Ref Watch (13 May) that it was the right decision to give him his marching orders.
“I thought it was an excellent intervention by the VAR. It’s the distance that Lundstram comes. He comes so far and gathers so much speed.
“His boot is high and he leads with his studs. When I saw it, I thought it was an inevitable red card.
“We want VAR to intervene when there’s a clear mistake. You look at the images and the speed Lundstram comes at.
“Look at the distance he’s travelled. The ball has gone and he catches him on the ankle with his studs.
“I think that’s a red card. It’s hard to accept a yellow card when you’ve got VAR available to overturn it.”
Rangers let themselves down vs Celtic, it wasn’t the referee
There is usually plenty of incident in an Old Firm derby and the most recent game was no different, but for once the referee got most of the decisions right.
Lundstram was correctly sent off and while the penalty issue against Mohammed Diomande was questionable, the fact Matt O’Riley missed it means it wasn’t consequential to the result.
Ultimately it was the Ibrox club who let themselves down with a number of poor performances and yet another poor start to a game, before waking up when it was too late to make amends.
Nobody more than Lundstram is to blame after his moments of absolute madness essentially gift-wrapped the win and title to Celtic, so there’s no doubt that most fans won’t be mad to see the back of him should leave in the summer.
But for once the referee wasn’t the reason behind a bad result, and Gallagher is spot on in his evaluation of the situation.
In other Rangers news, the club are set for a seven-figure windfall after a permanent transfer was finalised.
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