Kris Boyd dumbfounded as Alistair Johnston escapes clear red card vs Rangers
Kris Boyd winced when reviewing the footage of Alistair Johnston’s challenge on Rangers‘ Mikey Moore.
The first half was full of action at Parkhead, with a goal for either side, and plenty of controversy to sink your teeth into.
Rangers were adamant that Celtic’s goal should have been ruled out for offside, despite VAR checking and clearing the incident, much to the surprise of former PGMOL chief, Keith Hackett.
And the Light Blues were also convinced that Johnston got off rather lightly for his challenge on Moore in the first half.
Johnston was booked for his tackle, but Boyd was stunned that it wasn’t upgraded to a red card.
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Alistair Johnston can count himself lucky vs Rangers
The Light Blues have had some horrid luck this season when it comes to VAR calls, and Sunday’s clash with Celtic was no different.
Rangers have already had a goal disallowed this season for a near-identical offence to the one that saw Celtic level the game, while also having already had a red card for a tackle identical to that of Johnston’s.
The right-back was high and late to the challenge on Moore, with the Tottenham loanee complaining to the officials, and rightfully so, with footage showcasing the true extent of the tackle.
And when it was shown back on Sky Sports, Boyd could not believe that Johnston escaped a red card.
He said: “Oh 100 per cent, when you see it like that, he hits him above the ankle. You can quite clearly see it there.
“That’s a red card all day long.”
Rangers’ title chances ended by hopeless officiating
Rangers have certainly had their chances to accumulate more points this season, but they have had several taken away from them as a result of refereeing decisions.
Two of the biggest calls in the clash with Celtic went against them, and had they gone their way, it would almost certainly have been a very different outcome.
Celtic had momentum behind them after their equalising goal, and without it, we could quite easily have been talking about a crucial Rangers victory.
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