Michael Stewart believes that Connor Goldson's 'handball' was unanimously not a penalty kick against Dundee United - and blasted the way some are looking to 'punish' players.
The Rangers defender kept a clean sheet as Michael Beale's side saw out a 2-0 win at Tannadice, their first league triumph on Tayside since 2020. Fashion Sakala and Malik Tillman were on target in the second half as the Light Blues cut the gap on rivals Celtic back to nine points following a firecracker 2-2 Old Firm derby last week.
And defender Goldson was at the centre of more penalty talk, after his supposed handball against Ange Postecoglou's men was dismissed by VAR which sparked fan backlash. The Englishman was the subject of another incident at Tannadice when the ball struck his arm in the penalty area from a corner in the second half. Referee Steven McLean consulted with VAR on the call but no spot-kick was awarded.
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Pundit Stewart believes it would have been a farce to award the penalty, and says it would have been an impossibility for the 30-year-old to get his arm out of the way. He told BBC Sportscene: "It's not a penalty kick. We have got to the stage where I think we are looking to punish players for doing nothing wrong.
"Look at the amount of bodies that are in front of Connor Goldson. He has got no way of knowing that ball is going to be coming anywhere near him. His arm is in a completely normal position for when he's defending. If you give a penalty kick for that, I think it is incredibly harsh.
"He's got a millisecond to react if you are saying he needs to get his arm out the way. Now, in tennis, when they serve, it goes so fast and your eye can not track the ball as your eye is predicting where it's going to go. You have a ball that's probably a couple of feet when it goes past a player, so there's no way Goldson can react to get his arm out the way. It's an impossibility."
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