Former Grade One official Des Roache has analysed the four biggest refereeing flashpoints from Rangers' 3-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win over Celtic at Ibrox, pointing to a lucky red-card escape for Celtic defender Colby Donovan.
Nick Walsh took charge of the match as Rangers booked their place in the Hampden semi-finals. Roache, on Ref Watch duty for Record Sport, said Walsh got the majority of his big calls right, despite two VAR decisions and an on-field bust-up.
Disallowed goal and on-field rammy
The first half passed without major incident before two quick-fire Rangers goals brought the game to life. After Kevin Kelsy made it 2-0, Emmanuel Fernandez thought he had added a third when he headed James Penrice's free-kick delivery towards goal. The goal was chalked off following a VAR check, with Nicolas Raskin straying offside.
Roache said: "I thought the goal was chopped off correctly. Nicolas Raskin was in an offside position to start with and impacted the play. It was a good call."
Haissem Hassan was left fuming after being wiped out by Dujon Sterling, only for Penrice to smash the ball off the Celtic winger as he lay on the deck. That sparked a furious confrontation, with players from both sides piling in. Hassan and Penrice were both shown yellow cards, while Sterling escaped punishment.
Roache said: "I thought Sterling pulling back Hassan was a yellow card. That was the obvious one to give. If Nick had got in there quicker, he could've potentially avoided the melee. But he didn't. However, once the melee did start, you're going to pick one from each team. You're going to pick one who's been the aggressor."
Kelsy VAR check and Donovan let-off
Kelsy announced himself as a Rangers player by netting his first goal for the club following his £9million switch from MLS. The striker smashed a first-time volley beyond Sam Johnstone after being left unmarked at the back post. There was a nervous wait before the celebrations could begin, with VAR drawing the lines to check for offside. The goal was eventually given the thumbs up.
Roache said: "My initial reaction was that I thought it was onside. I've got to be fair. When I first saw it, I thought, 'I don't know what they are looking at, but they've obviously got to review it.' The goal correctly stood so I've got no issue with that."
Donovan was walking a tightrope after picking up a yellow card in the 27th minute for taking out Djeidi Gassama. The early booking did little to curb the Celtic defender's all-action approach, as he conceded a number of fouls, including one on Ryan Naderi, and was perhaps fortunate not to see a second yellow card before the final whistle.
Roache said: "He was really, really pushing it. When you get cautioned early in the first-half as a defender, you really need to play your game more savvy. Anything that's coming is highlighted. I was quite surprised that Celtic left him on for the full 90 minutes, but he did push it. He pushed it to the limit, he was probably at 99.9 percent before he was getting a red card."
