Celtic and Rangers drop points in Scottish Premiership title race but Martin O’Neill and Danny Rohl remain defiant | football news
Martin O’Neill and Danny Rohl were their rivals for the Scottish Premiership title, although both Celtic and Rangers dropped points on Sunday.
The Hoops were beaten 2-1 by Hibernian, with Kai Andrews’ late winner handing the visitors their first win at Celtic Park in 16 years.
Meanwhile, Rangers came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with bottom club Livingston. The game turned in their favour when Christian Montano was sent off on the hour mark, with goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mikey Moore earning a point.
It came after Hearts beat Falkirk on Saturday and they now have a four-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
O’Neill said, discussing Celtic’s chances in the title race on Sky Sports News: “We’re not out of it at all. I anticipated the unpredictable nature of this season. It’s disappointing to drop points today, but we’re still fighting out there.
“Whenever you lose a match, it’s always an opportunity missed but there’s plenty to play for. We’re still fighting for it, and the fans have been great.”
Rohl also predicted that the race would come down to the final day, saying to Sky Sports, “We have personality and character, but we conceded two goals and that made it very difficult. Overall, it was exactly the game I expected and in those two or three moments, you have to be there.
“We have to keep going. There are still 10 games to go. I said it in the group: we are not happy, but hopefully we can close the gap to four to one next week.
“We will hunt until the end. The final decision will be on the last match day. We are ready for it; my team is ready for it.
“They have a big belief; they are disappointed for a while, but it is important to lead by example and I believe we can do that.”
Should Rangers have been awarded a penalty?
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A huge talking point in Rangers’ draw was Cammy Kerr’s late foul on Murray on the edge of the area. The Livingston man caught the Rangers forward, but the on-field referee gave nothing.
The decision went to VAR, who had to determine whether the foul came from inside or outside the area and whether it denied a goal-scoring opportunity. [DOGSO].
Overall, it was deemed out of bounds and not a DOGSO, so they couldn’t interfere and the game continued from the restart – much to the chagrin of the Rangers.
Rohl said it was the kind of decision that could decide a title, saying to Sky Sports, “The big question mark in my view was the foul. If it’s out, then again it’s a red card, or if it’s in, it’s a pen. I can’t take that today.
“It’s an important moment. It’s a moment where you can decide the race with the final action, but we had 90 minutes to score 3-2.”
Discussing the incident, Chris Boyd told Sky Sports, “There will be Rangers fans out there who will be hugely disappointed, but the reality is it’s not a penalty.
“The point of contact is obviously outside the box. If it had pulled and continued into the box, it would have been awarded as a penalty, or if it had been on the line.
“VAR cannot be involved, as they have come to the conclusion that it is not a DOGSO.
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There was major VAR controversy at Livingston when a late challenge on Mickey Moore was deemed fair and not a penalty.
“Referees are relying on VAR to bail them out a lot of the time… It’s become clearer day by day that it’s a foul. We can’t criticise and say we don’t want to re-refer the game and then when something like this happens, it should be re-referred.
“The laws of the game tell you if it’s not inside you, you can’t be involved. VAR did its job. The referee called it a foul on the pitch.”
James McFadden also agreed that the referee not calling for a foul on the field was a concern, adding, “I think it’s an easy decision for the referee to give.
“It’s a foul at first because Kerr is coming from the wrong side and tackling with his wrong foot. I think there’s a block… I don’t know if he has a clear shot. My problem is the referee doesn’t give a foul for that.”
Former Livingston and Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday It should have been a red card, saying, “It’s obviously a foul. We sometimes criticise VAR here but, on this occasion, the referee has to be criticised.
“We’ve seen red cards over the last few weeks where players have been brought down on the halfway line. If Moore isn’t fouled there, he’s volleying the ball towards goal… That strikes me as a foul and a red card.
“It’s not a penalty, but Moore is about to hit and he blocks.”
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Christian Montano made Livingston’s job more difficult, as his errant tackle on Zeidi Gassama rightly led to a red card.
‘Celtic in disarray; Rangers need to win that game if they want the title.’
Boyd criticised both sides after their respective results. He believes Celtic will survive if they lose to Rangers at the Old Farm next Sunday on Sky Sports. They are out of the title race.
“If Rangers want to beat Celtic, I think they’re done,” he said. “They are in chaos; there is no way out.
“You can keep cracking with last-minute goals, and the Celtic fans will love that. All you hear is, ‘That’s what champions do,’ but the reality is you can’t hold it over the line.
“Martin touched on it after that [Kilmarnock]. The game, he knew right away, couldn’t go on.”
Callum McGregor reacts after Kai Andrews’ late strike condemned Celtic to a 2-1 defeat at Hibernian
As for Rangers, Boyd says the lack of a recognisable No. 9 continues to plague them, and they need to win at a place like Livingston if they want trophies.
He added, “Maybe if Rangers had got the first goal a bit earlier, they would have had a better chance of getting back into it. They had a lot of the ball but didn’t create many clear-cut chances.
“The lack of a natural goalscorer in the No. 10 position could bother Rangers.
“It’s three away games in a row for Rangers now. They’ve failed to win. There were many chances, but Rangers have spent a lot of money since the summer. There’s been a huge improvement, but if you’re going to win the title, you have to come to this ground and get the three points.
“If Hearts beat Aberdeen on Saturday, they can sit with their feet up and watch the game [Old Firm] on Sunday.
But if Celtic go to Ibrox and win, they will have a game in hand on Wednesday, and suddenly, that changes everything. This weekend, there’s only one winner and that’s Hearts.”
