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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

Dermot Gallagher in shock Rangers vs Celtic VAR verdict after Bobby Madden explainer

Kemar Roofe's strike against Celtic yesterday should have counted. 

That's according to former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher.

The experienced official appeared on Sky Sports' Ref Watch this morning to review a series of contentious calls in the weekend's football action.

One of the highlighted incidents was Don Roberton's choice to overturn his original decision to allow Roofe's goal to stand for Rangers. 

In the build-up to that thunderous strike, his teammate Cyriel Dessers dispossessed Gustaf Lagerbielke deep inside the Celtic half. 

VAR looked at the incident for a potential foul as the Ibrox crowd went wild. Robertson was advised to look at the pitchside monitor to review the situation. He chopped the goal off and awarded a foul to Brendan Rodgers' side.

Michael Beale's team ultimately lost the game 1-0 thanks to a goal by Kyogo.

And Gallagher insists Rangers new boy Dessers did not commit a foul, and the goal should have had the hosts 1-0 up at Ibrox. 

He said: "I think the referee has got it absolutely correct on the pitch, I don't think it's a foul. Dessers gets in front of him, he's committed no foul at that point.

"When he goes to the screen, all I can think of is he thinks he pushes him. But, I think if VAR hadn't intervened, then nobody would really have been talking about it."

He was then pressed on why Alan Muir on VAR decided to get involved with the matter.

Gallagher added: "I've no idea, Rob. When I look at it again, all I can think of is they think he's pushed him, like an upper body push. It's certainly not a foul with his feet."

Pundit Stephen Warnock added: "The goal should have stood, 100 per cent. What you can see is one of the Celtic centre backs reacts to it and goes absolutely ballistic at his teammate for dwelling on the ball.

"You can read body language as well, players understand what is a foul and what is not a foul."

Ex-Leeds and Doncaster player Sue Smith said: "Yeah, definitely. It should have been a goal."

It comes as ex-Scottish FA referee Bobby Madden insisted that Dessers' did foul Lagerbielke.

He took to social media: "The defender is in control. The defender's action is to play the ball with his left foot. This is the important part.

"The attacker has not played the ball at this point and puts his foot in between the defender and the ball.

"It's a foul anywhere on the pitch no matter what happens thereafter. Had the attacker played the ball before the contact, fine. But he was never in control or possession."

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