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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Ben Ramage

4 Bobby Madden Dundee United and Rangers decisions in focus as Charlie Mulgrew and Ryan Jack face sweat

It simply wouldn't be a Premiership clash without a host of controversial talking points to dissect at the full-time whistle.

Rangers' draw with Dundee United was unsurprisingly no different, with referee Bobby Madden and his officials coming under intense scrutiny from both sets of supporters following the eventful 1-1 daw.

Ryan Jack and Charlie Mulgrew are both facing a sweat over possible retrospective punishment after two poor tackles in the hard-fought clash.

The pair were both involved in late challenges that weren't spotted by referee Madden in the heat of battle.

Jack may well yet face retrospective action following his late tackle on Dylan Levitt in extra-time, while Dundee United defender Mulgrew was fortunate that Scott Arfield didn't make more of a meal of his mis-timed challenge.

In the box Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst insisted after the match that two clear penalty shouts could well have been called with the help of VAR.

Here we've gone through each incident and given our verdict on whether the right call was made or not.

Penalty shout for Ross Graham handball

This incident came at a pivotal moment early on in the game.

A chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot would have given Rangers an excellent platform to build on, and when Charlie Mulgrew's clearance hit Ross Graham's hand initially the calls for a penalty looked very clear.

However, on closer inspection it's harder to argue that Graham's hand was in an unnatural position.

If anything, the defender appeared to be trying to move his hand away from the ball, not towards it.

Verdict: No penalty

Charlie Mulgrew challenge on Scott Arfield

Much like Ryan Jack's challenge later in the game, Mulgrew could be in trouble for this mistimed challenge.

Again the angle of Mulgrew's leg seriously endangers Arfield, who is fortunate to come away from the clash unscathed - as was Levitt.

The fact that Arfield continued on with the game without making a claim for a foul perhaps spared Mulgrew at the time.

But the compliance officer will look at every available angle and that may well cost Mulgrew yet.

Verdict : At least a yellow, but could well have been a red card

Penalty shout for Fashion Sakala shirt pull

Before Rangers eventually did level through Joe Aribo, they had another chance to score from the spot denied by Bobby Madden.

After Aribo's powerful header was saved by Benjamin Siegrist, Sakala looked set to pounce on the rebound but couldn't get enough power on his strike.

Replays clearly show Ross Graham had more than a handful of his shirt, which should have easily been spotted by the linesman.

Verdict : Penalty

Ryan Jack challenge on Dylan Levitt

Blink and you might have missed this one, given it came deep in the 7th minute of extra-time.

But when you look back at the challenge in the cold light of day it's easy to see why Dundee United fans are upset with the decision.

While Jack was challenging for the ball, the angle in which his straight leg connects with Levitt's leg does look like a dangerous challenge.

In truth Levitt was fortunate not to sustain a serious injury given his foot was planted at the time.

Verdict: Should have been a red card

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