David Marshall has backed up Willie Collum over his flashpoint decisions from the draw between Hibs and Rangers with a 'can't argue' verdict.
Rocky Bushiri was judged to have fouled Antonio Colak late in the first half as James Tavernier stepped up and fired Rangers ahead from the penalty spot. In the second period Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men were handed two red cards to John Lundstram and Alfredo Morelos with the visitors reduced to nine men for the final 15 minutes of normal time.
Hibs No1 Marshall has opened up on the key talking points from the game as he defended the whistler - including the penalty against his own side. Josh Campbell was the Easter Road hero as his last-gap strike earned Lee Johnson's men a share of the spoils. Speaking about the key moments, Marshall said: “There is still interpretation there. Some people won’t think it’s a pen, some people will.
"With the [Alfredo] Morelos red you can’t really argue because the movement of the arm is there. With [John] Lundstram, you would have expected a booking. But the game has moved on, you have to be careful if you are tackling people from behind and are not intentionally getting the ball.
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“Aye, there are still going to be arguments [once VAR arrives]. I looked back at all three and I couldn’t argue that any of them were wrong. Are they soft? Yeah, maybe.
"But the game has changed and you have to be smarter on the pitch. VAR might help clear things up but I think that is why we watch football. Everybody has got an opinion. I wouldn’t be arguing the referee had a poor game anyway.”
On the Bushiri penalty call, he added: “You can’t argue really, can you? Rocky’s got his hands on the striker, so yeah there’s no argument. Put it this way, if it’s not given, I don’t think Rangers are up in arms but it’s still hands on the player.
“Yes, the ball was coming straight to me, but I think we are in a different era now. I think you have to realise these things can happen and you have to defend smarter. Obviously, we’ve got VAR coming in so these things will get picked up. Listen, it’s a contact sport and anyone who has been watching football for years knows that maybe 10 years ago that was never a penalty. But it’s a changed game now.”
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