Celtic won the final SPFL Glasgow Derby of the season, effectively wrapping up the title. They extended their lead at the top to six points with just two games remaining.
On the day, Celtic were the better team, and despite Rangers being reduced to ten men, the latter tried to disrupt the game with long balls into the box in the last 15 minutes. Nevertheless, the Bhoys held firm to see out the game.
The main talking points this weekend have been elsewhere—whether it’s John Lundstrum’s deserved red card or Matt O’Riley’s fantastic opener followed by a dismal penalty. However, an incident that occurred early in the game has come to light, which is hard to believe wasn’t picked up by VAR.
Rangers player Mohamed Diomande appeared to intentionally elbow Reo Hatate in the head within the first ten minutes, impeding his progress. You can see for yourself here:
It’s a glaring oversight by VAR official Stevie McLean, who should have highlighted the incident to referee Willie Collum. It wasn’t discussed on Sportscene or in Sky Sports’ post-match analysis.
There’s a strong argument for a red card there, yet Diomande wasn’t even shown a yellow. Fortunately, it didn’t have a profound impact on the game.
This incident underscores that our rivals simply cannot match our level of play and resort to such tactics.
