Neil Lennon: ‘I was raging at what Rangers vs Celtic fourth official did’
Rangers and Celtic played out one of the more forgettable Old Firm Derbies of recent memory at Ibrox.
Russell Martin’s side recorded a 0-0 draw against Brendan Rodgers’ men – their fourth stalemate in as many league matches.
Harry Souttar did put the ball into Kasper Schmeichel’s net, only for VAR to rule the goal out for a marginal offside.
However, former Celtic manager Neil Lennon was less than pleased with what the fourth official did in the drab affair.
Why Neil Lennon was fuming with fourth official
Chris Sutton praised Findlay Curtis for drawing a foul from Marcelo Sarrachi in a clash where there was not much to shout about.
Both sides have endured a torrid start to the campaign in many ways, and the match highlighted the Glasgow duo’s troubles.
Martin is yet to win a Scottish Premiership clash, losing significant ground on the current champions, Celtic.
Both sides have been dumped out of the Champions League, with Rangers crushed by Club Brugge, while Celtic were knocked out on penalties by Kairat.
- The Gers failed to register a shot on target
- Both teams had 11 touches in the opposition box
- Celtic dropped points for the first time this season
Indeed, their encounter at Ibrox failed to deliver any real quality, and this was evident in what Lennon said while on Sky Sports Football on 31 August.
“Yeah, I think it’s drab,” he said.
“I think it lacked real quality, plenty of endeavor, but no zest, no goalkeepers making saves, no excitement, you know, it’s a 22-man stramash out there.
“When the referee put three minutes up, I was raging because it was three minutes too long.
“It was a really poor game, and maybe it’s just the fragility and the mindset of both the teams at the minute.
“I think Russell will be pleased that they kept a clean sheet, but they didn’t have any quality in the final third, and I think it’s a chance lost because I don’t think Celtic will be as poor as that going forward.”
Read more: James Tavernier ‘absolutely delighted’ with what Celtic did vs Rangers
Things will not get any easier for Rangers and Russell Martin
While a match with Celtic represents one of the trickier games of the Bears’ season, they have a difficult run ahead.
After the international break, Martin’s men face Hearts, Hibernian, and Genk, with all three potential banana skins.
Fortunately for the Gers, all three of those matches are at home, but they simply must get back to winning ways soon.
Hearts already have three wins from four and are unbeaten, while Hibs have four points from their first two games.
The tests keep on coming for Martin, and he is learning that no game will be a formality in Scotland.
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