Rangers were lucky not to concede a penalty against Motherwell on Christmas Eve.
That's the viewpoint of former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher.
During the second half of Philippe Clement's side's 2-0 victory at Fir Park, Cyriel Dessers appeared to pull back Mika Biereth as the striker looked to attack the ball at a Motherwell corner.
David Dickinson did not award a penalty for the incident and VAR did not advise the on-field official to review the situation.
🗣️ "How lucky can you get?" Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher's take on Motherwell's claim for a penalty against Rangers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rvOc0mHD0S
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 26, 2023
This left Gallagher bemused as he addressed the situation on Sky Sports' Ref Watch this morning.
"How lucky can you get?" the ex-referee said. "He clearly pulls him back, Dessers.
"It doesn't get picked up by the referee. It doesn't get recommended by the VAR which is surprising because, in Scotland, all of these have been given of late."
Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell scored the goals for the Ibrox side as they strolled to a comfortable victory in Lanarkshire.
Their next fixture is a home game against Ross County tomorrow night, before the Old Firm derby on Saturday lunchtime.
Meanwhile, Dowell has gone from a forgotten man to a central figure for Rangers. Cantwell never doubted his ability to rise to prominence.
Dowell was reunited with his former Norwich City team-mate when he followed in his footsteps and made the move north of the border in the summer. At various points since, he could have been forgiven for regretting his decision.
A promising start to the campaign wasn’t enough to earn him a place in the Europa League squad and the midfielder spent several months out of action as he became one of the first names on the lengthy injury list that has plagued Rangers this term. His patience has paid off, though.
