Ex Rangers ace says referee got key call wrong in Celtic loss but was impressed with 10-men's 'robust fight'
The former Hibs and Middlesbrough man said the sending off ‘galvinised’ Danny Rohl’s men.
It wouldn’t be an Old Firm match without some refereeing controversy, as not for the first time after a Hampden showdown, Nick Walsh’s performance has been put under a microscope.
In Celtic’s 3-1 victory against their Glaswegian counterparts, Rangers midfielder, Thelo Aasgaard was sent off for a high challenge on Anthony Ralston. Moments later, Hoops defender, Auston Trusty caught Jack Butland in the head with a late kick but only seen yellow. To add insult to injury for Rangers fans, the USA International was awarded Man of the Match.
Ralston was involved again, when he attempted to block Djeidi Gassama’s shot, which struck his elbow in the process. This particular call did go Rangers’ way as Walsh pointed to the spot. With three key incidents in the match, Danny Rohl refused to comment on the refereeing controversy, however former Rangers midfielder, Kevin Thomson says Nick Walsh got a big one wrong.
Thomson says Trusty should’ve seen red
Speaking on BBC Sportsound alongside veteran broadcaster, Stephen McGowan, Thomson was asked for a one-word answer on all three of the big talking points from the Hampden clash. When asked by host Ray Bradshaw whether he believed Trusty should’ve been sent off, he simply replied ‘yes’ and was backed up by McGowan.
Despite this, the pair agreed that Aasgaard being sent off was the right call and that the penalty should’ve been given, but was quite harsh. Thomson said of the Ralston handball: “it’s 100% a penalty but I still think it’s a bit of a rubbish one. I’m not so sure you can put your hand any other way.
“He’s (Ralston) obviously already on his way down but you could arguing he’s going down anyway while trying to block the ball. I’ve been there as a player myself with similar decisions against me, but in the modern day game with the rules it’s a stonewall penalty as the ball is heading towards goal.”
Sending off ‘galvinised’ Rangers
Thomson also stated that despite the red card, the ‘robust fight’ shown from Rohl’s men in the second half can be taken as a positive. He said: “Rohl’s had a difficult start, coming in for the European game against Brann after just a few days and having to deal with that, where they looked way too open, which has been the story of the season so far.
“But then again, I think he’s tweaked that and he’s made them harder to beat. I thought they put up a really robust fight and performance against Celtic down to 10 men. I thought they were really poor for the first 20-25 minutes and really passive but it looked like the sending off galvinised them.”
“I thought it was a good game, which didn’t have loads and loads of quality but was a typical Old Firm derby with lots of yellow cards and a sending off and to be honest, Celtic had Rangers’ number right up until the sending off and were in total control.”