Kevin Clancy was the man in the middle as Celtic welcomed Rangers to Parkhead for the latest instalment of one of the biggest derbies in world football.
Ange Postecoglou’s side picked up a huge three points in their quest to regain the Scottish Premiership title thanks to a double from Kyogo Furuhashi and a Jota goal.
Rangers had their chances in the game, but a James Tavernier double ultimately was not enough to keep their slim title dreams alive.
It was a busy afternoon for Clancy and his officials and here we analyse how they fared during the 90 minutes.
Kyogo’s disallowed goal after just five minutes
The officials were first called into action after just five minutes when Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi looked to have opened the scoring for his side. The Japanese international turned home a lofted through ball by Alistair Johnston. The forward wheeled away before his celebrations were cut short by the linesman who flagged for offside. Replays showed that this was clearly a correct call by the official and VAR did not have to intervene.
Verdict: Correct decision
Morelos disallowed goal
Rangers thought they had opened the scoring on 20 minutes when Alfredo Morelos turned the ball into the back of the net from close range after a corner into the box. Replays showed that the striker was involved in a jostling battle with Alistair Johnston. Both players clearly had hold of each other’s shirts before Morelos then pushed his marker away to create space for his finish. Referee Clancy awarded a foul for the push and after viewing the incident again VAR official Nick Walsh backed up the decision. Walsh could only intervene if he felt there was a “clear and obvious error” made, so you can see why he has agreed that the push is worthy of a foul.
Clear and obvious errors are described as “if the referee has obviously misjudged an incident, meaning it did not happen how the referee describes, this is grounds for a review and for the decision to be overturned.”
Verdict: Correct decision
Shirt pull by Johnston on Morelos possible penalty
Just after the 50 minute mark Rangers had appeals for a penalty turned away when Morelos and Johnston clashed again in the box from a corner. The Colombian angled a header towards goal before it was deflected behind off his own player Ryan Jack. Morelos looked under pressure when he performed the header and replays showed that Johnston had hold of his jersey. There was a brief stoppage in play due to a VAR break shortly after the incident, but it was not clear what the stoppage was for. Plenty of penalties have been given in the past for shirt pulls, so Rangers can count themselves unlucky that this one was not given.
IFAB rules state that “a direct free kick/penalty is awarded if a player commits any of the following offences:
- a handball offence (except for the goalkeeper within their penalty area)
- holds an opponent
- impedes an opponent with contact
- bites or spits at someone on the team lists or a match official
- throws an object at the ball, an opponent or a match official, or makes contact with the ball with a held object”.
Verdict: Wrong decision
Overall handling of the fixture
Over the course of the 90 minutes, Clancy handed out six yellow cards in what was a fiercely contested contest. It would be hard to argue with any of Clancy's bookings, as most were given for professional fouls that were worthy of cards.
