Charlie Mulgrew digs up ancient Rangers frustration towards John Beaton after Celtic controversy
Charlie Mulgrew couldn’t help but bring up Rangers after Celtic were controversially awarded a late penalty against Motherwell on Wednesday.
The Gers featured themselves in midweek, playing out a 2-1 defeat at Ibrox in a match that meant nothing for the hosts.
All eyes in the Scottish Premiership were on the top two, with Hearts edging ever closer to the title for the first time since 1960.
A Celtic draw would have left the Maroons with one hand on the trophy, but a late Kelechi Iheanacho spot kick sealed all three points.
John Beaton awarded a controversial penalty against Sam Nicholson, sparking Mulgrew to bizarrely link the decision back to the Light Blues.
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Charlie Mulgrew in mixed review of John Beaton after Celtic penalty fiasco
The title race is certainly going down to the wire with just one point separating the two with just one game remaining, which is ironically against each other.
Things could have been different if Motherwell had taken their chances and not allowed a late decision to change the end result.
| Stat | Motherwell | Celtic |
| Expected goals | 1.21 | 1.37 |
| Shots | 15 | 10 |
| Big chances | 1 | 2 |
| Accurate passes | 406 | 465 |
| Corners | 4 | 3 |
There has been so much discussion surrounding the penalty decision and whether or not Nicholson handled the ball inside the penalty area.
There is a lack of truly conclusive footage, but that didn’t stop referee Beaton from taking just 20 seconds before making a massive decision.
Many have slated the decision and have questioned the ethics behind it, but for whatever reason, Mulgrew has backed the official due to his apparent Ibrox links.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Celtic defender said: “I think it ticks a lot of boxes for John Beaton. Now, John Beaton is of the Rangers persuasion, and he’s been known to be a Rangers fan in Scotland.
“He’s been sent to the monitor, and if there’s one guy who’s going to say what he sees, it’s John Beaton. I don’t believe John Beaton is going to say anything other than what he’s seen.”
Rangers lost to Hibernian as this call was made, so discussing them in this situation is bizarre, even if the match official isn’t liked at Parkhead.
Why is Mulgrew saying that Beaton supports Rangers?
It says a lot that the 40-year-old is bringing up a decision from 14 years ago to justify a hugely controversial call in Celtic’s favour.
Cast your mind back to 2012 as Rangers secured a 1-0 Old Firm win at Ibrox in December 2018.
The away side claimed that Beaton was biased because he opted not to send off Alfredo Morelos, prompting an official complaint from the Hoops.
They conveniently forgot moments where Scott Brown avoided a red card for a shin-high challenge on Daniel Candeias and a goal-saving handball that went in their favour.
It seems as if they haven’t forgotten those moments, and they continue to live rent-free in Mulgrew’s mind, even though the event at Fir Park had absolutely nothing to do with Rangers.
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