Danny Rohl, the manager of Rangers, was left seething with match officials following a contentious late incident in his team's 2-2 draw with Livingston, the Scottish Premiership's bottom side. The Ibrox outfit had mounted a spirited comeback from two goals down and were pushing for a stoppage-time winner against ten-man Livingston when a crucial decision went against them.
Controversial Tackle Sparks Outrage
In the dying seconds, winger Mikey Moore was on the verge of shooting inside the Livingston penalty area when he was caught by a robust challenge from Cammy Kerr. Moore immediately appealed for a penalty, but referee Ryan Lee allowed play to continue. After an extensive Video Assistant Referee review, it was determined that the contact occurred just outside the box, resulting in no foul being awarded.
Rohl's Fiery Post-Match Reaction
Rangers boss Danny Rohl was unconvinced by the officiating, viewing it as a missed chance to close the gap on league leaders Hearts. 'For me, it's a clear foul,' he asserted. 'I think it's on the line. And then it's two decisions. If it's outside, it's a red card and a free kick. If it's inside, then it's a penalty and a yellow card.'
He elaborated further, stating, 'I think there's no contact on the ball, the contact goes to the man. I think those are crucial moments in this title race as well.' When questioned about the referee not being instructed to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor, Rohl expressed surprise. 'Yeah, of course. The first thing is, when they checked over two or three minutes, there must be something. And then I was surprised that the ref did not watch it back. Maybe he has an explanation. I don't have this but, finally, again, we have 100 minutes to decide this game earlier.'
Dramatic Comeback Falls Short
The match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. Livingston took an early lead through Brooklyn Kabongolo's volley after 14 minutes, with Lewis Smith doubling their advantage early in the second half. The game's momentum shifted dramatically when Cristian Montano was sent off on the hour mark for denying Djeidi Gassama a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Rangers capitalised on their numerical advantage, with defender Emmanuel Fernandez pulling a goal back in the 81st minute, followed by Mikey Moore's equaliser in the 88th minute. Despite the late rally, the controversial non-call prevented Rangers from securing a potential winner.
Title Race Implications
With this result, Rangers remain four points behind league leaders Hearts and two points ahead of Celtic, who suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Hibernian. Rohl acknowledged the frustration but backed his players to recover in time for Sunday's crucial Old Firm derby at Ibrox. 'It's hard at 2-0 down to come back,' he reflected. 'It showed big character in the group. I put three centre-forwards on the pitch. I took the centre-back out and we played with three in the last line. We tried, we tried, we tried.'
He added, 'My job is to lift them and to give them a clear picture now. As it is, we've come from six points to three, from five points to two, and now we are four behind and can maybe get to one. We have to make it step by step. There's 10 games to go and it's a tough race. But I see footballers really ready for this, even though we dropped two points today. We'll go again and again.'
Livingston's Survival Hopes
For Livingston, the draw represents a valuable point in their battle against relegation. They are still awaiting their first victory since a 3-1 win over Falkirk in early August. Manager Marvin Bartley remained optimistic, insisting their performance against Rangers bolstered his belief in a great escape. 'It's a good point,' he said. 'Yes, we're 2-0 up but we go down to 10 men. If you'd offered me a point before the game, I'd have bitten your hand off.'
Bartley praised his team's resilience, noting, 'We dealt with a lot of balls coming into the box, blocked everything we could. There were a few scrambles around our goal line but, when they got through, Jerome Prior was there. Whether it comes down to the last day of the season, this team will survive and stay in the top flight. I'm really sure of that.'
The match concluded with Rangers ruing a missed opportunity and Livingston taking a step towards potential survival, all overshadowed by a late decision that left Danny Rohl fuming and the title race finely poised.
