Rangers boss slams diving accusations towards £35m Wolves player as 'unfortunate' Celtic claim made

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has defended Wolves loanee Fabio Silva after he was accused of diving in Sunday’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Premiership title rivals Celtic.

The Portugal Under-21 international was at the heart of a controversial moment that allowed Clement’s side to get back into the game after the visitors had taken a two-goal lead into half-time in a heated affair at Ibrox.

With ten minutes gone in the second-half, Silva was booked for simulation after he was challenged by Alistair Johnston in the visitors area. However, referee John Beaton overturned the decision following a VAR review and awarded a penalty to Rangers.

That decision provoked anger and frustration from several figures around the game with former Celtic favourites Neil Lennon and Chris Sutton both criticising Silva for the way he went down under Johnston’s challenge. Celtic have also revealed they have been in communication with the SFA to seek clarification over how the VAR process was implemented during the incident.

However, Clement hit back at Silva’s critics and insisted Beaton got the decision correct after being told the review the incident via a pitch side monitor. The striker is spending the rest of this season at Ibrox after failing to make a sustained impact at Wolves following a £35m move in 2020.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s visit to Dundee, the Rangers boss said: “I have difficulty with other people talking about my players because in other teams I see players also going down a lot. Maybe not this time in the game but in other games a lot. You guys know all about who I am talking about.

“There’s some things that need to be taken out of the game and that’s the job of the managers and the referees. I said also, I'm also disappointed when we score a goal and they go back more than 10 seconds. I didn't make any comments about that, nothing. So don't put a stamp on Fabio about that situation because he got kicked on the knee. That's the reality. It's a penalty.”

Former Rangers favourite makes Celtic Champions League claim

Craig Moore believes Celtic and Rangers will both drop points in the Premiership title race - but believes it will be the latter that will come out on top at the end of the season.

However, the former Rangers defender believes neither Glasgow club will make an impact in next season’s Champions League. As it stands, Celtic sit a point clear but that could all change on Wednesday night when Rangers play their game in hand at Dundee. Moore assessed the title race earlier this week and gave his thoughts on how either club would fare at European football’s top table.

Moore told GO Radio: "I'm gonna go Rangers. But I still think there's gonna be some dropped points. Unfortunately, so far - and it doesn't matter whether it's Rangers or Celtic - the Champions League is beyond the two of them. They can compete but they can't seem to find a way to get out. At the same time, bang on, you set yourself for the highest and to be involved in that is amazing."