It's always a day packed with talking points when Rangers and Celtic go head to head - but there is one clear issue dominating the post-match debate.
Celtic could have had the opportunity to fire the ball beyond Allan McGregor while trailing 2-1 had Connor Goldson been penalised for a handball in the box, as the ball appeared to strike the arm of the Rangers star following a drive towards goal from Carl Starfelt. Referee John Beaton failed to point to the penalty spot and following a VAR review Willie Collum review the flashpoint using multiple angles but opted to not send the man in the middle to the monitor.
While debate has rumbled on following the full-time whistle, with the talk raging over whether Goldson's arm was in an unnatural position or if the Englishman has made himself unnaturally bigger to block the Swede's effort on goal. The defender's hands were near his face as he got in the way of the effort.
The distance of the shot also comes into consideration for Collum with the Celtic snapshot potentially meaning Goldson's arms were in a natural position at the time of the incident. What does the rulebook say, and what are the refereeing experts saying about the incident? Record Sport takes a look.
What the rulebook says
The IFAB rule states: "Not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence. It is an offence if a player:
- Deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball
- Touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised
- Scores in the opponents’ goal:
- Directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper
- Immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental."
What the experts have said
The decision has split the experts, with former referees Steve Conroy and Stuart Dougal taking opposing views. Whistler Conroy insisted John Beaton should have been sent to the pitchside monitor to review the call.
He put the blame on Willie Collum stating: "The VAR team didn't make the right call with the Connor Goldson handball shout - to me, it looked like a handball. Now that Scottish football actually has VAR, I have no idea why that incident wasn't put to review.
"Now that Scottish football actually has VAR, I have no idea why that incident wasn't put to review. Unless there's a view of it that we viewers at home didn't see, I'm not sure why John Beaton wasn't advised to have a look at the monitor.
"It shouldn't be decided by those in charge of VAR if it's a penalty or not. That should be left to John so he can make up his own mind.
"I'll say that I think the Goldson incident wasn't John's fault, that should've been passed back to him to review it. It's fantastic that he got through the Old Firm while only showing two cautions, I thought he was on top of the game all the way through - he was fantastic."
Dougal however insisted that there was no conclusive evidence for Collum to refer Beaton to the monitor. He said: “We’ve got to look at ‘what do the laws of the game say’ first of all? The current laws at the moment are did the player make himself unnaturally bigger?
"Has there actually been a handball? If you’re a Celtic fan I’m sure you’re going to claim ‘yeah, I can see a little nick there.’ If it does hit his hand, assuming that it does, where is it hitting?
“It looks as if it’s going to hit his head, so he’s not making his body unnaturally bigger. Another key factor here is, are his hands outwith his body? No. The distance between the two players is something else that VAR and the referee would take into consideration. Is it conclusive that there is actually a handball where the hands are above the shoulder or beyond?
“When you take them all together, I’ll let other people make up their mind whether they’d give a penalty or not. The reason VAR didn’t get involved in it is that they don’t see a clear and obvious error.
“If you think that was a handball because the hands are big and above the head, then you’re entitled to give a penalty kick. I don’t think VAR would get involved either. That refereeing decision has to stand whether or not the Celtic fans think it’s fair.”
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