Boss Danny Rohl insisted the Light Blues should have been given a spot kick in the defeat to Motherwell
Danny Rohl has been told he was correct to raise a Rangers gripe after a penalty claim was snubbed against Motherwell.
The Light Blues suffered a major blow to their title hopes as Emmanuel Longelo struck late on at Ibrox to secure a shock 3-2 victory for the Steelmen.
But with the game poised at 1-0 in the first half, Rohl felt his side deserved a penalty when Lukas Fadinger fouled Djeidi Gassama on the edge of the box.
The trip saw Rangers receive a free-kick from referee Kevin Clancy, but the German boss felt the contact on the winger was made inside the box.
Grant Irvine in the VAR room declined to send the man in the middle for a second look at the incident.
Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton felt that the match officials got the big call wrong.
He told the Premier Sports Social Club: “I think it’s on the line, personally. Gassama does what every forward would try to do: get in front of the defender.
“It’s very difficult because whenever I’ve got it on my phone, or I’ve tried to slow it down and really see it frame by frame, it’s hard because it happens at a real pace.
“It does look on the line to me, which would have been a penalty. It was 1-0; it would have changed the game. I’m just being honest, it looks on the line.”
In response, former Hearts and Hibs midfielder Michael Stewart insisted the foul should have been given against Gassama.
Stewart said: “I don’t think it’s a foul, and if it is, I think it’s a foul for Motherwell. Gassama puts his leg across the Motherwell player; he doesn’t play the ball. Even if the Motherwell player doesn’t make contact, I’m not sure he’s going to maintain balance.
“He stretches that far in front of the Motherwell player that he’s not keeping his own balance. He’s fouled the Motherwell player as far as I’m concerned.”
However, he conceded: “If you are going to give a free-kick for that, it should be a penalty because it’s on the line. But I am telling you, it’s never a foul for Rangers – it’s a foul for the Motherwell player.”
But former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher insisted there was no need for VAR intervention – because referee Clancy already had the “decisive” angle.
He told Sky Sports: “You look and think the line belongs to the goalkeeper, so it’s a penalty. Is it on the line?
“But when you look, the foul occurs just outside of it. Excellent. It’s all about the point of contact and he’s in the most perfect position to make the judgement. He’s so decisive.”
“This is where the referee has done really well. If you look where he’s moved to, he’s got the perfect position to make this judgment. What I really like is that before anyone could moan at him, he points to exactly where it happened – he’s so decisive.”