Rangers boss Philippe Clement questioned penalty criteria after Hibernian missed from the spot in their 1-0 William Hill Premiership defeat at Ibrox.
Tom Lawrence put Rangers in front with a wonderful curling finish in the 34th minute, but just before the break – after taking a look at his pitchside monitor – referee Nick Walsh awarded a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Light Blues defender John Souttar inside the box.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland saved Mykola Kukharevych’s spot-kick but Rangers manager Clement stood up in his post-match media conference to demonstrate why Souttar could not naturally lift his leg to block without initially lifting his arms, which left him puzzled as to why a penalty was given.
He said: “No, I totally don’t agree about the penalty decision.
“We had these discussions with the referee department before the season and it was really constructive, with almost all the managers there.
“And you’ve seen a clear change in the first week of the season.
“There were several moments that there were no penalties given in situations where last year there was a penalty. This one is for me in that line.
“The ball comes and John wants to block the ball so he puts his leg up.
“Maybe I better stand up. Maybe I’m not as mobile as him, but he puts his leg up.
“You cannot put your leg up with your arms like that (behind the back), that’s impossible. So he puts his leg up so he needs to find balance.
“So his arms are like that (out) when he puts his leg up. And then he sees the arm is going to get contact and it’s too late.
“And his natural reflex is to make himself smaller, to put his arm in front of him. And from one metre, the ball hits him and his arm goes up like that.
“I want to ask them what a player can do different in that situation? It’s impossible. It’s biology, it’s bio-dynamics.
“I’ve seen good decisions in the last couple of weeks where the player’s arm was away from their body and it was not a penalty and it was also correct for me.
“It’s important that everybody understands and is aligned and that we can make the right decisions for the future.”
Clement believes a lacklustre performance could be blamed on the noon kick-off for television, with the squad arriving home late on Thursday night following their 2-0 Europa League win against Malmo in Sweden.
He said: “You play today at 12pm after a European trip where you come home around 2am at the training ground, then you need to drive back home so players sleep, if they are lucky, around 4am.
“You have lost one night of sleep, you have one night of sleep and this one is also a short one because you need to wake up really early to be ready for the game.
“So almost everybody who played on Thursday and even the guys who didn’t play, they were less fresh than in the last couple of weeks.”
Hibernian manager David Gray believed the penalty decision was correct “because of where it is on the pitch and where the ball’s going” but acknowledged that was only one of several missed opportunities.
He said: “It’s mixed emotions for me, really. Quite frustrated. You never accept losing games, ever, but I can’t fault the players’ effort.
“But there are big moments in big games. And you know you get the opportunity with a penalty.
“But even missing the penalty, I thought we reacted really well with that as well. It’s almost like Rangers getting a goal when their goalkeeper makes the save – so the reaction from the players was excellent.
“I thought if we had got one goal, we could have gone on and won the game.
“I felt that we created loads of chances, 18 shots, something like that.
“But we also need to make sure that we try and take one of the chances – because you don’t often get as many as that when you come here.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. The reason why Man City lost 5 matches in a row Erling Haaland lol Cucuruku Cook that thing… This The Man United cycle. This Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Portuguese has promised to not sign any Sporting CP stars in the winter window.However, all bets are off in the summer, with A Bola stating that Geovany Quenda is the main target.United are said to be preparing an offer of £50M plus bonuses to secure the young winger.Amorim can use Quenda in either wing-back position, while he is also capable of playing in the front three.Another player U...
The Algerian's contract expires in the summer of 2026 and he is believed to be eyeing a move away from Molineux.Rayan Ait-Nouri is wanted by Man UtdThat has put United are on red alert for a player as Amorim has made signing a left-back a priority.He wants to boost his options give Luke Shaw's injury record.Shaw could also eventually move into the back-three once the former Sporting Lisbon manager...
Mohamed Salah has said he is yet to receive a formal contract offer from Liverpool, adding that he is "more out than in" regarding whether he will stay at the club next season.Salah, whose contract is set to expire next summer, has enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, having scored 12 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in Liverpool's 3-2 comeback win over Southampton on S...
Real Madrid monitoring Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite🚨👀 #Branthwaite is attracting the attention of 🇪🇺 top clubs.📃 #RealMadrid included the CB in their list of potential January targets, while 🏴 teams continue to monitor him ahead of June.💰 #Everton would like to keep him but are also open to evaluating bids >€70m. 🐓⚽ pic.twitter.com/5lpoomMdyp— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) Novem...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. EPL Week 12 Ipswich 1-1 Man Utd Southampton 2-3 Liverpool LOL OUCH Cristiano Ronaldo now has 500 more Goals than Henry When a taxi driver asked Messi to take photo of him with Mascherano... Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, trollfootball, The Football Arena, AZR Organization)...
Leicester City open talks with Van Nistelrooy over head coach job🚨🗣️ #Leicester have approached Ruud #vanNistelrooy to explore the negotiation margins to replace Steve Cooper on their bench.📃 David #Moyes and other names are under evaluation, but #LCFC would like to convince the 🇳🇱 manager as a priority. 🐓⚽ #Transfers pic.twitter.com/xsz3TT9q7P— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) November 24, 2024H...
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe was happy scoring in their win at Leganes.Real won 3-0 on Sunday, with Mbappe opening the scoring on the night.He later told RMTV: "I started well, with rhythm with my teammates, in a different position. As I said the first day I arrived here, I can play in many different positions and I will play to give my best, it is the story of my career, I play on the right,...
Leicester City have confirmed they have sacked manager Steve Cooper. The 44-year-old took charge for the final time on. Saturday, with the Foxes beaten at home by Chelsea in the Premier League.He leaves with Leicester 16th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone after being promoted under Enzo Maresca last season.Steve Cooper after Leicester's 2-1 loss to Chelsea.In a released stat...
Ruben Amorim said Manchester United will have to "suffer for a long period" before his methods help the club enjoy success again after a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town denied the new head coach a debut win in his first game in charge.Marcus Rashford's opening goal after 81 seconds had given United a dream start at Portman Road, but Omari Hutchinson's equaliser sealed a point for Kieran McKenna's team an...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 3 Daily Laugh - Antony and his latest ManUtd session
- 4 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 5 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 6 Mia Khalifa slams rumours of 'affair with ex-Prem star Julian Alvarez'
- 7 Amorim targets Sporting Lisbon's Quenda
- 8 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 9 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 10 The secret and very normal jobs of England’s WAGs