Despite Celtic and Rangers both dropping points on Sunday, Martin O’Neill and Danny Rolle continued their bid for the Scottish Premiership title.
The Hoops lost 2-1 to Hibernian, with Kai Andrews’ late winner giving the visitors their first win in 16 years at Celtic Park.
Meanwhile, Rangers fought back from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 with bottom club Livingston. Cristian Montano was sent off just after the hour mark, and the game turned in their favor, with goals from Emmanuel Fernandes and Mikey Moore securing a point.
This comes after Hearts defeated Falkirk on Saturday and they currently hold a four-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Asked about Celtic’s prospects in the title race, O’Neill told Sky Sports News: “We haven’t lost at all. We knew there would be ups and downs this year. It’s disappointing to drop points today, but we’re still fighting.”
“When you lose a game you always miss an opportunity, but there’s a lot of room to play. We’re still fighting for it and the fans were great.”
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Watch the highlights from the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hibernian.
Rohr also told Sky Sports he expected the race to be a tangle until the final day. “We have character and character, but conceding two goals made it very difficult. In the end it was exactly what I expected. You have to be there for those two or three moments.”
“We have to continue. There are still 10 games left. I said this to the group, we are not satisfied, but we hope that next week we can close the gap from four to one.”
“We will push to the end. The final decision will be on the day of the final game. We are ready for this and my group is ready for this.”
“They have a lot of faith and they may be disappointed for a moment, but it’s important to lead by example and I believe we can do that.”
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Highlights of the Scottish Premiership match between Livingston and Rangers.
Should Rangers have been given a penalty?
The big story in Rangers’ draw was Cammy Kerr’s late foul on Moore on the edge of the area. The Livingston man caught the Rangers forward, but the referee on the field gave no indication.
The decision was left to VAR, which had to determine whether the foul was inside or outside the area and whether a goal opportunity was denied (DOGSO).
In the end, it was deemed to be out of area and not DOGSO, so they could not intervene and the match continued from the restart, much to the annoyance of Rangers.
Rohr told Sky Sports it was a decision that clinched the title, saying: “The big question mark in my view was the foul. If it goes out, it’s another red card, if it goes in, it’s a pen. That’s unacceptable to me today.”
Rangers head coach Danny Rohr believes the title race will continue until the final day
“It’s an important moment, a moment where the last action could decide the race, but we had 90 minutes to score 3-2.”
Regarding the incident, Chris Boyd told Sky Sports: “I’m sure there are some Rangers fans who are very disappointed, but the reality is that this was not a penalty.
“The point of contact was obviously outside the box. If it had been pulled and continued into the box it would have been given as a penalty or it would have been on the line.”
“VAR cannot be involved since it has been determined that it is not DOGSO.
“Referees often rely on VAR to bail them out… It’s obvious to the light of day that it’s a foul. We can’t criticize or say we don’t want the game to be retried and then when such an incident occurs we can’t have it retried.
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There was a huge controversy over VAR at Livingston after a late challenge on Mikey Moore was deemed fair and not a penalty.
“The laws of the game say you can’t take part in the game unless you’re inside. VAR did its job. The referee decided it was wrong on the pitch.”
James McFadden agreed that the referee’s failure to call a foul on the field was a concern, adding: “I think it’s an easy call for the referee.”
“First it’s a foul, because Kerr is coming from the opposite side and tackling him on the wrong foot as well. I think there’s a block there… I don’t know if he has a clear shot or not. The problem I have is that the referee didn’t give a foul for that.”
Former Livingston and Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday said a red card should have been given: “It was definitely a foul. Sometimes we criticize VAR here, but this time the criticism should be directed at the referee.”
“In recent weeks we’ve seen players brought down on the halfway line and red cards given. If Moore wasn’t fouled there, he’d be volleying the ball towards goal… To me, that’s a red card and a foul.”
“It wasn’t a penalty, but Moore was trying to attack and it was blocked.”
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Andy Halliday analyzes the late challenge on Mikey Moore with the benefit of a freeze frame and agrees referee Ryan Lee made a huge mistake.
‘Celtic in disarray, Rangers must win these games if they want to chase the title’
Boyd criticized both sides following their respective results. He believes Celtic will be out of the title race if they lose to Rangers in next Sunday’s Old Firm game, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
“If Rangers beat Celtic, I think it’s over,” he said. “They are in chaos and there is no way out of it.
“We could get away with a last-minute goal and Celtic fans would be happy about that. All you hear is ‘that’s what champions do’ but the reality is you can’t keep towing the line.
“Martin mentioned it after the[Kilmarnock]game and he knew from then on that it couldn’t go on like this.”
Callum McGregor reacts after Kai Andrews’ late goal saw Celtic lose 2-1 to Hibernian
As for Rangers, Boyd said the absence of a recognized No. 9 still bothered them and they had to win at places like Livingston if they wanted to win trophies.
He added: “Perhaps if Rangers had taken the lead a little earlier they would have had more chances to fight back. They had a lot of the ball but didn’t create many clear chances.”
“The lack of a natural goalscorer in the number nine position may come back to haunt Rangers.
“For Rangers, it’s been three consecutive away games they haven’t won. They’ve had plenty of chances but Rangers have spent a lot of money since the summer. “We’ve made great progress but there’s a case for us to come here and pick up the three points if we’re going to win the title.”
“If Hearts beat Aberdeen on Saturday, I can sit back and put my feet up and watch the game (Old Firm) on Sunday.
“But if Celtic win against Ibrox, with a game coming up on Wednesday, all of a sudden things change. There is only one winner this weekend, Hearts.”
