Celtic 1 Rangers 1
For 89 minutes, the curious aspect of this Old Firm fixture was the blatant lack of controversy. There had also been a glaring lack of quality, although that is more of a staple scenario when Celtic and Rangers meet. Pedro Caixinha, the incoming Rangers head coach, would have been given a harsh lesson in the ugliness of Scottish football while watching from the main stand.
A talking point was to arrive. As Clint Hill desperately tried to prevent Leigh Griffiths from taking free aim at the Rangers goal, the Celtic striker tumbled to the ground. The hosts, including Griffiths and the manager, Brendan Rodgers, were absolutely adamant a penalty should be awarded. Suddenly, Celtic's underperformance was forgotten amid the narrative that officialdom had denied them a last-gasp winner against their oldest foes.
By Hill’s own admission, a spot-kick could very well have been given by Bobby Madden. “With it being here at their place, nine times out of 10 it is given,” the 38-year-old said. “It was last ditch to try to get the ball. I don’t know if I got it or not. I thought we deserved a bit of luck over the course of the game.”
The reality is this was not nearly as obvious a penalty as Celtic’s contingent would have onlookers believe. More of a foul than not, perhaps. Still, it was the kind of scenario that, depending on tribal allegiance and which end of a pitch it happens at, firm and fast opinions are offered. The Old Firm whine and wail about throw-ins, meaning an affair such as this would always dominate post-match discussion.
“We should have had a penalty right at the death,” Rodgers said. “It was a clear-cut penalty. It’s very frustrating – even more so when Clint Hill tells me he got away with it.
“Clint’s a good guy, a real honest fella, and he knows he got away with one. I think everyone saw it apart from the referee.”
Madden’s view, or lack of it, is pertinent. Given referees are rightly lambasted for guessing, it seems unfair to criticise this one for not making such a crucial call without an ideal line of sight.
“It was a penalty,” Griffiths said. “He hasn’t touched the ball and the referee asked me afterwards: ‘Did he touch the ball?’ I told him that he didn’t but that was after the incident had passed and he can’t go back and give it then.
“He has to either give the penalty or book me for diving. I was about to put the ball in the back of the net and, if you look back, he’s caught me waist-high.
“He didn’t make contact with the ball and that decision has cost us three points. Bobby Madden is the only man in the stadium who didn’t think it was a penalty.”
Any conspiracy theories relating to Celtic and refereeing decisions – oh how they exist – are somewhat undermined by their domestic run of 35 matches undefeated, with a treble in firm view. In specific context of this match – a battling Rangers display notwithstanding – that Rodgers and his players must quibble about a penalty provides tacit admission of not living up to pre-match hype. Moussa Dembélé and Scott Sinclair, Celtic's two most potent attacking weapons all season, were ineffectual to the point of anonymity. Celtic did not bombard a flaky Rangers back line at any stage.
Stuart Armstrong, who has thrived under the guidance of Rodgers, sent the champions elect in front with a terrific left-footed drive that flew in at Wes Foderingham's near post. By that 35th-minute juncture, Celtic had finally gained a foothold in the match. They should have been behind when Martyn Waghorn was sent clean through on goal, only for the striker to shoot straight at Craig Gordon.
Armstrong watched two shots parried away by Foderingham as Celtic chased the second goal that would have placed the game beyond Rangers. That counter never arrived; Celtic's flow was upset by the removal of Armstrong because of a calf problem, the visitors visibly growing in confidence as the seconds ticked down. Gordon saved brilliantly from Waghorn before Jason Holt curled wide of the Celtic goal.
Hill, for merely the first time of the afternoon, was to prove the key figure. He stole in at the back post after Gordon had palmed away an Emerson Hyndman shot. Despite the white noise that followed, Rangers were worthy of their point. In the grand scheme of things, the result is not damaging to Celtic; which will not have an impact on a current, lingering sense of injustice. When these teams meet again next month in a Scottish Cup semi-final, Celtic's quest should be to endorse their superiority to the point where whistles and flags do not matter.
(Guardian service)
