FORMER Celtic goal hero Charlie Nicholas has told the Ibrox club they are wasting their time with complaints to the SFA.
Michael Beale’s side were incensed after referee Kevin Clancy ruled out an effort from Alfredo Morelos in the 20th minute that would have put the visitors 1-0 ahead at Parkhead on Saturday.
The match official immediately blew for a push from the Colombian on Alistair Johnston and the champions went on to win 3-2 with a double from Kyogo Furuhashi and another from Filipe Jota who displayed keen anticipation and breathtaking acceleration to seize on a wayward pass from John Souttar to round Allan McGregor and roll in the third and decisive goal.
The Govan hierarchy acted hastily to fire off a letter to the SFA demanding an explanation as to why the Morelos ‘goal’ had not stood.
VAR did not intervene because there was no obvious error by Clancy.
GOING…Alistair Johnston loses his bearings after a push from Alfredo Morelos.
GOING…Alistair Johnston misjudges the flight of the ball after the shove from the Colombian.
GONE…Alistair Johnston is sent crashing as Morlos diverts the ball into the net – only for referee Kevin Clancy to rule it out for a push in the back of the Celtic defender.
The Scotland governing football have replied to the sore losers to tell them they BACKED the whistler’s decision and that has left the Ibrox bosses “astonished”.
The waste-of-time and sadly predictable reaction from the team’s gaffers merely acted as a diversion to the fact their last remaining forlorn chance of catching Ange Postecoglou’s champions in the race for the title had been obliterated with the Hoops racing TWELVE points clear.
With only three wins required from the remaining seven games, the trophy is heading home to Paradise for the eleventh time in 12 years.
The men from Ibrox have now lost three of the four derbies this season while the other was drawn at their place at the turn of the year.
The clubs are on a collision course as they are due to meet in the last four of the Scottish Cup on Sunday April 30.
Nicholas said: “Rangers have written to the SFA to complain about Alfredo Morelos’ goal being chalked off against Celtic.
“If the Light Blues really want to make a real point then they should be concentrating all their efforts in trying to win the SFA’s flagship event – the Scottish Cup.
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Kyogo Furuhashi accepts the applause of the Celtic fans after the opening goal.
“Celtic face Rangers again at Hampden later this month in the semi-final. It is the final chance for Michael Beale’s side to end the season with silverware.
“Yes, I understand why Rangers have grievances from the weekend. I agree Morelos’ goal should have stood and Kevin Clancy shouldn’t have ruled his effort out at Celtic Park.
“Maybe if the goal had stood then Celtic might not have won, but the score-line is out there now. That won’t change.”
Nicholas, writing in his Daily Express column, added: “You can write to the Scottish Football Association, but what is it going to achieve? Just to tell officials or the VAR officials they got the decision wrong? It will achieve absolutely zero.
“The bottom line is that Rangers still can’t beat Celtic. If you go and beat them at Hampden, then you don’t need to write letters to the SFA.
“The perfect response would be to beat Celtic because yet again, their rivals have not played well and won again.”
