Celtic ‘very lucky’ Morelos goal was ruled out in Old Firm

Celtic were “very, very lucky” not to fall behind to an Alfredo Morelos goal on Saturday, according to former English top-flight referee Dermot Gallagher.

The Rangers striker had an early goal disallowed for a push on Alistair Johnston during their 3-2 defeat at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Reviewing the incident on Sky Sports, Gallagher said: “I think Celtic got very, very lucky. Both players are grappling. For me, best let it go.”

Rangers were planning to write to the Scottish Football Association asking for an explanation as to why the goal was disallowed.

Video assistant referee Nick Walsh did not call Kevin Clancy to his monitor and former Scottish top-flight official Stuart Dougal claimed there was no basis for intervention from Clydesdale House.

Dougal told BBC Scotland: “VAR can’t intervene here because it’s not seen as a clear and obvious error.

“If there is something much more blatant, if there is no contact whatsoever, then of course VAR can step in and ask the referee to have a look at it again.

“But where they are looking at that clip and it’s a bit 50-50, 60-40, depending on which side of the fence you’re on, VAR under the current protocols can’t get involved.”

Dougal dismissed suggestions Clancy could have allowed the goal to stand to allow the VAR official to have a closer look.

“The simple reason for that is if Kevin doesn’t call that the way he has and is relying on VAR, and VAR says to him, basically you’re wrong, then it means Kevin is wrong,” he said. “By not making a decision, you can still be wrong.

“It’s important that the referee team call the shots as they see them and if they need VAR to ‘rescue’ them, then that’s what can happen.”

Dougal is open to the SFA amending the VAR protocols to allow more decisions to be re-examined rather than just what are perceived to be “clear and obvious” errors.

“If I’m the referee in that situation I wouldn’t mind a second viewing of that just to make sure the call is correct,” he said.

“Kevin could very well go to the monitor if called by the VAR and say ‘yeah, I’m comfortable, I have seen a push and that takes it into a foul’. He could have said ‘I don’t think that push was as bad as I thought it was’ and that VAR check would allow him to award the goal.”

Rangers previously wrote to the SFA over Clancy’s performance last year following a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie, a game in which the Dons felt they should have had a penalty for Allan McGregor’s challenge on Ryan Hedges and Ryan Kent was sent off for the visitors.