Every word Neil McCann said about Rangers vs Livingston penalty controversy on BBC Sportscene
Neil McCann hasn’t held back after Rangers secured a 2-1 win over Livingston on Saturday.
Rangers took three points against Livingston as Danny Rohl’s excellent record in the Scottish Premiership continued at Ibrox.
The result may have been positive, but Rangers fans showed frustration against Livingston after a largely frustrating showing in Govan.
The Rangers players came under fire from Tom English even after Mohamed Diomande grabbed the winner with just over 10 minutes to go in G51.
Despite picking up three points against Livi, things could have been so different after what McCann saw on the day.
Neil McCann baffled by Emmanuel Fernandez controversy vs Livingston
David Martindale’s side arguably deserved more from the game after what was a positive away performance.
The 51-year-old was left fuming at full-time, potentially due to Emmanuel Fernandez somehow going without punishment for handball.
Tete Yengi took a shot but was stopped by Fernandez as the ball hit his arm in the box, but a penalty wasn’t awarded by Ross Hardie or VAR.
Martindale was hopeful of an explanation from Willie Collum post-match, as the Livi head coach was left baffled by the decision.
McCann echoed his feelings on BBC Sportscene, expressing disbelief at the decision given where Fernandez’s arm was positioned.
He said: “I think he’s [David Martin] to be fuming. We’ve seen some very strange calls by the VAR team.
“This hasn’t got anything to do with technology, this is just seeing a ball hit a hand and then deciding that it’s close proximity, it’s a natural placement for his hand to be. I mean, that’s on target, and he’s bringing his hand up, he’s not strapping his arms to his body, and it does strike him on the lower arm.
“I think it should have been a penalty. Rangers really got out of jail there. I don’t know if he’s doing it intentionally, but it is coming through in that motion.“
Rangers deserved some luck vs Livingston
For so long, the Light Blues have had little to no fortune on their side and have often struggled to cope with what has been thrown at them.
The Scottish Cup semi-final is a perfect example of this, with Aasgaard sent off despite going for the ball, before Auston Trusty remained on the pitch after kicking out at Jack Butland.
That arguably cost Rohl’s side a place in the final, but they will take whatever they can get in any other fixture across the rest of the season.
The decision against Fernandez arguably could have gone either way based on the close proximity to Yengi, but it has clearly ruffled some feathers.
The Ibrox faithful won’t care and will solely be glad to see their side pick up another three points on the road to Scottish Premiership recovery.
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