Dermot Gallagher and former Rangers star disagree on Hearts v Celtic controversy

Dermot Gallagher and a former Rangers player have been reacting to the Hearts v Celtic controversy

Hearts will be nursing their wounds following a brutal 4-1 defeat at home to Celtic. The visitors opened up the scoring within the first four minutes of play as rising star and Danish international Matt O’Riley found the net following a Daizen Maeda cross.

He was then joined on the scoreboard by his Japanese teammate as well as Kyogo Furuhashi and Tomoki Iwata while Lawrence Shankland was able to score his sixth goal of the season, giving Hearts a brief but necessary rise in spirits. Furuhashi’s goal, Celtic’s third, came after Reo Hatate missed a penalty opportunity.

The 28-year-old Japanese forward was fouled by Alex Cochrane in the penalty box just after the half-time break and a subsequent VAR check deemed the incident worthy of a penalty much to the disappointment and disapproval of the home fans. Hearts star Andy Halliday admitted on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard that his team believed VAR would overturn the original decision but it was not to be.

Following the decision, the former Rangers star Barry Ferguson admits he would be “going off his head” if he was penalised for the penalty won by Kyogo Furuhashi. Scottish football coach Ferguson first played for Rangers as a junior in 1994 before winning his senior contract in 1997.

He would go on to play for the Gers until 2003 before leaving for England but returned just two years later to complete another four year stint at Ibrox.

Speaking to Go Radio, the Rangers legend said: “Listen, Kyogo knows what he’s doing. There is no doubt about it. I think it’s so soft. Technically it is a penalty because there is contact in the box, but I think it’s harsh. If it’s given against me, I’m going off my head, to be honest. I would be.”

Former referee Dermot Gallagher, however, believed his ex-colleague Nick Walsh was correct in awarding the penalty but the former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was keen to offer a similar view to that of Ferguson’s. Speaking on his Ref Watch for Sky Sports, Gallagher said: “Kyogo is clever, he puts himself between the ball and Cochrane. Cocharane gets a hold of him and the referee gives a penalty.”

However, the ex-Reds man said: “I didn’t think it was a penalty, I think he bought it completely, it’s just the centre forward trying to be clever but watch the defender, he doesn’t really leave too much in there. Not for me.”

Speaking to the press following the final whistle, Jambos boss Naismith said of the penalty decision: “It’s one where the referee’s made a call but we’re meant to be eradicating these decisions throughout the game. But every week, we’re still talking about whether it’s a penalty or it isn’t.”

The Jambos must now dust off their defeat ahead of next weekend’s action where they will head to Glasgow to face Rangers who come off the back of their own triumph against Hearts’ rivals Hibs.