Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has warned that the league leaders cannot be complacent in the title race and hopes that VAR will begin to be implemented fairly.
The Hoops left Ibrox unscathed in their first match of 2023 after a late strike from Kyogo Furuhashi made it all square.
It was important that Celtic’s nine point gap at the top of the table remained untouched after the final whistle unless they added to it as the home side really had to win the game to keep the title race in their own hands.
Ange Postecoglou before the game mentioned that a bug had ravaged through the squad which was visible in terms of the performance as the display was certainly not vintage Celtic.
However, Sutton had mentioned in his column the week before the derby match that he had concerns about the implementation of VAR going into the match which proved correct after the Hoops were denied a penalty following Connor Goldson’s handball to block Carl Starfelt’s shot.
A point was more useful to Celtic than it was to Rangers but Sutton warns that the decision not to have given a penalty could still have a major bearing on the title race. Much of his blame is focused toward to VAR referee Willie Collum who had the luxury of the replays and didn’t invite referee John Beaton to have a look at the incident.
“I don’t blame John Beaton. He had a split second to make the call but that is why VAR is there. It’s to correct clear and obvious errors and they don’t come much more clear and obvious than that. For Willie Collum in the VAR hut to come to the conclusion there was no case to answer, and to not even invite the referee to have another look, was incredulous,” said Chris Sutton speaking in his Daily Record column.
“I have no problems with the Fashion Sakala penalty decision. There’s an argument Sakala stood on Carl Starfelt’s foot but as far as I was concerned, the defender slid in and didn’t get the ball. If you do that, you are running the risk of a penalty and that decision was fair enough. But for all that happened, I’m sure the Celtic players and staff would have been sitting in the dressing room at the end feeling it was a good result in the circumstances.
“It was a good point in the context of the title race – but also a good reminder this league is not over yet. Of course Celtic are in good shape with a nine point lead and vastly greater goal difference. But it’s not done yet and there can be no room for complacency. That’s not something you can label at this Celtic side, but I thought a hint of it crept in on Monday.
Sutton also citing Joe Hart dwelling on the ball as a pivotal moment.
“They were cruising after 25 minutes at Ibrox. You could hear the home crowd were starting to turn on their team and it was almost too easy. Celtic were dominating the game but the moment of slackness from Joe Hart completely changed the feel of it. The keeper made a magnificent save to redeem himself but it gave Rangers some hope and it got the fans back onside.”
Hart’s error followed the substitution which Celtic were forced into after Greg Taylor pulled up for a second time. The incident lifted the crowd and it was disappointing from the Hoops most experienced player on the pitch who will know himself that he won’t always get away with that.
Looking forward, there is a total of 13 games before the split and eight of those matches will be at home.
The point at Ibrox puts Celtic in a very positive position in the next few months as they look to secure another title.
“In the next few weeks they’ve got the likes of Kilmarnock and St Mirren and they will be a different kind of challenge. They’ll be organised, disciplined and dogged. Celtic will need to be on their game to break them down and get the result they need, because if there are any slip ups then the title race really will be far from over. And we can only hope Scottish officials finally get to grips with VAR before it has a major say in the championship.”
