Dermot Gallagher shares what he thought about Rangers controversy vs Celtic while watching
Dermot Gallagher believes the decision to award Celtic a late penalty against Rangers was correct in the entertaining 2-2 draw.
The Ibrox giants’ Scottish Premiership title hopes were dealt a last-gasp setback during a pulsating Old Firm derby on Sunday after referee John Beaton pointed to the spot.
Beaton was advised to check his pitchside monitor after Dujon Sterling threw himself in the way of Daizen Maeda’s goal-bound effort, with the ball clearly touching his arm.
Following a lengthy review, Reo Hatate stepped up and scored at the third time of asking, Jack Butland having saved the initial spot-kick and rebound from close range.
Unsurprisingly, Rangers were outraged by the decision, but Gallagher says the right call was made.
- Read more: Dujon Sterling penalty incident took shine off Rangers vs Celtic performance – here’s why
Penalty consistency praised despite Ibrox drama
Indeed, Gallagher, who refereed in the Premier League between 1992 and 2007, was confident a penalty would be awarded after watching just one replay of the incident in real time.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch after watching the game live, he said: “Absolutely consistent with what they have done all season.
“I thought the goalkeeper saved it first of all. I saw one replay, and I thought, ‘Well, this is going to be a penalty’.
“You ask for consistency. They are 100 per cent consistent on handball application in Scotland, no doubt about it.
“Every time that happens, the referee always points to the spot. Or if the referee doesn’t see it, the VAR alerts him as he does here. Always a penalty.”
Regardless, Sterling knew little about the inadvertent handball, and the controversy has led to some influential figures demanding a change in the rulebook.
Bonkers handball rule must be changed
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, Keith Hackett urged for the rule to be changed to only penalise deliberate actions before awarding penalties or free-kicks.
That tweak could place common sense back at the heart of officiating, something supporters of countless clubs believe has been sorely missing for too many years.
Beaton had no choice but to give the penalty after Maeda’s effort appeared to be heading in, and VAR were also correct to wade into the furore and advise a pitchside check.
The fault, therefore, does not lie with those applying the laws, but instead with those who have written them.
The real-life ramifications are clear, with Danny Rohl‘s side ultimately dropping two points at such a crucial stage of the season and failing to close the gap on leaders Hearts.
How costly that will prove to be remains to be seen.
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