Former English Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher admits he doesn't know how Robbie Neilson can defend Hearts two red cards picked up against Celtic.
The Jambos boss fumed after the full-time whistle at Celtic Park after Alex Cochrane and Toby Sibbick were both handed red cards in the final seconds of their Scottish Premiership defeat. Both defenders were sent packing for second bookings and Neilson was disappointed at the officiating as he called for stronger referees, stating the "crowd noise" in Glasgow's east end had influenced whistler Kevin Clancy.
However, Gallagher gave the two big decisions in the 2-0 loss the Sky Sports' Ref Watch treatment and was left baffled by how the boss was able to defend his duo. The top whistler insisted there was "no need" for either Sibbick or Cochrane to get themselves wrapped up in trouble with the Gorgie men pushing for an equaliser against the champions late in the clash.
When analysing the Hearts flashpoints, Gallagher told Sky Sports: "Yeah, (Cochrane's) already on a yellow card. You just can't do this and why do it in that area of the field?
"And the same for the second player as well, he'd also had a yellow card earlier on. They ended up with nine men which is a pity really because you don't want to see that."
When asked about Neilson's anger over the decision, he added: "I don't know how you can defend them because they're on yellow cards and there's no need to do this. I don't want to see teams reduced to nine men but I don't think the referee has got any choice."
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