I don't want to say I told you so. But I told you so. I said in my Record Sport column last week I was worried VAR might cause a problem at Ibrox and sure enough there was a big flashpoint with the Connor Goldson handball. I don’t care what anyone says, or how some people want to pore over the IFAB rules in the search of a technicality. A penalty would be awarded down south every day of the week.
There should be no debate. Listen, I’m not saying Celtic deserved anything from the game on Monday. They escaped with a draw and will probably feel fortunate at that. But that doesn’t make the Goldson decision okay. It ended up honours even and as you were in terms of the points difference. That could have had a major bearing on the title race though. It still might.
I don’t blame John Beaton. He had a split second to make the call but that is why VAR is there. It’s to correct clear and obvious errors and they don’t come much more clear and obvious than that. For Willie Collum in the VAR hut to come to the conclusion there was no case to answer, and to not even invite the referee to have another look, was incredulous.
I have no problems with the Fashion Sakala penalty decision. There’s an argument Sakala stood on Carl Starfelt’s foot but as far as I was concerned, the defender slid in and didn’t get the ball. If you do that, you are running the risk of a penalty and that decision was fair enough. But for all that happened, I’m sure the Celtic players and staff would have been sitting in the dressing room at the end feeling it was a good result in the circumstances.
It was a good point in the context of the title race – but also a good reminder this league is not over yet. Of course Celtic are in good shape with a nine point lead and vastly greater goal difference. But it’s not done yet and there can be no room for complacency. That’s not something you can label at this Celtic side, but I thought a hint of it crept in on Monday.
They were cruising after 25 minutes at Ibrox. You could hear the home crowd were starting to turn on their team and it was almost too easy. Celtic were dominating the game but the moment of slackness from Joe Hart completely changed the feel of it. The keeper made a magnificent save to redeem himself but it gave Rangers some hope and it got the fans back onside.
You have to give Rangers credit for the way they fought back and played in the second half, but I’ve got to say, there were periods of the game where the football on show from both sides was fairly dreadful. There was a spell before halftime when neither could string two passes together. That is unlike Celtic and while Ange Postecoglou will have been delighted with the result and he spoke positively to the Press after the game, I’ve got no doubt he would have been pretty angry in the dressing room.
There are not many Celtic players you would have given pass marks. Cameron Carter-Vickers was immense as usual, Daizen Maeda took his goal really well and had James Tavernier on toast in the first half, and Callum McGregor was decent. But too many of the rest had off days. It didn’t help losing Greg Taylor early on and Postecoglou clearly doesn’t quite trust Alexandro Bernabei yet.
I could understand Josip Juranovic getting the nod to go on at left back as he’s played there tons of times. But he looked like he was back from a stag weekend, never mind the World Cup. I know there was talk about a bug going through the squad but he simply didn’t look on it from the moment he got on the pitch.
The supply to Maeda dried up and James Forrest seemed reluctant to take on Borna Barisic on the other flank. It left Kyogo with not much service, and certainly no sign of those balls from the byline he loves until he managed to get on the end of the one at the end. Celtic probably got out of jail a bit but it just might be the little jolt they need.
In the next few weeks they’ve got the likes of Kilmarnock and St Mirren and they will be a different kind of challenge. They’ll be organised, disciplined and dogged. Celtic will need to be on their game to break them down and get the result they need, because if there are any slip ups then the title race really will be far from over. And we can only hope Scottish officials finally get to grips with VAR before it has a major say in the championship.
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