An incident involving Mikey Moore has made the headlines as Rangers and Livingston played out a 2-2 draw on Sunday.
Rangers went into the game high on confidence after beating Hearts 4-2 last weekend, and were expected to pick up the three points.
However, that did not happen, as the bottom-placed SPFL side scored two goals to go 2-0, and the Gers found their way back into the game through strikes from Emmanuel Fernandez and Moore.
Mark Clattenburg explains why VAR could not intervene as Mikey Moore was fouled
Mark Clattenburg, a former FIFA and Premier League official, believes that Moore was surely fouled late on in the game.
Late in the game, Livingston defender Cammy Kerr made a challenge on the Spurs loanee and took him out.
He did not make any contact with the ball as the 18-year-old was entering the penalty area, seemingly being clean through on goal.
Ryan Lee, the on-field referee, decided that it was not a foul, despite the defender’s failure to win the ball.
This led to many arguing that it was a red card and a potential penalty as well, but Clattenburg does not agree with that view.
Speaking exclusively with Rangers News, having reviewed the footage, the Englishman believes that a free kick should have been given, but not a red card or a penalty.
In his view, the foul started outside the box, ruling out a spot kick, and it cannot be a red card due to the presence of a covering defender.
He said: “Mikey Moore was surely fouled late in the game by a Livingston defender.
“The foul started outside the penalty area and continued inside.
“However, as the foul started outside and happened outside, a free kick should have been awarded.
“The referee missed this, and VAR could not interfere as it was not a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, as there was a covering defender.”
Kris Boyd shares if Rangers were hard done by the decision
Speaking on Sky Sports, Kris Boyd agreed with Clattenburg’s assessment of the incident.
He admits that while a foul should have been given, it could not be a penalty as the action had taken place outside the box.
The former Gers striker does not want to see the game being re-refereed.
He said: “Clear as day. It’s a foul. Sliding in from that angle, it is a foul.
“But, we can’t say we don’t want the game re-refereed and then having to look at it. It’s outside the box.
“The laws of the game tell you that unless it’s inside, you can’t get involved in it.”
