Emotions always run high whenever Celtic and Rangers meet. The fixture between the two sides is one of the fiercest in world football, with both teams always leaving it all out on the pitch.
Of course, that is amplified to the nth degree when the teams are in the midst of a title race. That was the case this afternoon, with Celtic knowing that a victory at Parkhead would leave them with one hand on the Scottish Premiership trophy.
Before the game even kicked off, you could certainly get a sense of the size of the occasion.
🔥 Listen to that noise!
Celtic vs Rangers is live NOW on Sky Sports 📺 pic.twitter.com/fpW2H6AlAx— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 8, 2023
With the two sides still level midway through the first half, Rangers thought they had taken the lead through Alfredo Morelos. However, the goal was ruled out after referee Kenny Clancy felt that he had fouled Alistair Johnston just before turning the ball into the net.
It was a controversial decision, one which Ally McCoist was confused by in the Sky Sports commentary booth.
🎙️ "Never a free-kick... There is no foul there"
Morelos has the ball in the net, but Kevin Clancy says no goal. Was it a foul? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/aYBGnAnH7C— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 8, 2023
It's never a free-kick. I'll clear it up for you right now, it's never a free-kick.
It was certainly a big call from the officials, one that didn't go down well with the Rangers contingent.
Kris Boyd furious over disallowed Alfredo Morelos Celtic goal
Speaking on Sky Sports at halftime, James McFadden and Kris Boyd said that they felt the referee got the decision wrong. Boyd was particularly fuming, labelling the call as 'embarrassing'.
McFadden: Johnston has got a hold on his shirt, both of them are at it. There is a push from Morelos, but he is just trying to free himself.
Boyd: It's absolutely embarrassing.
McFadden: For me, there's not enough in it. I think if it was up the other end, the Celtic fans and players would be of the exact same opinion. This is a sport where there has to be contact and I don't think there's a great deal in it.
Boyd: It's embarrassing. At the end of the day, it's a contact sport. Alistair Johnston has got a grip of Alfredo Morelos and Alfredo Morelos has got a grip of him as well, all of a sudden he just decides to fall forward because he's caught under the ball?
That should be a goal. It's embarrassing!
Any disallowed goal in the Old Firm derby is sure to cause plenty of debate, but this one seemed to particularly upset Rangers fans.
Boyd would return to the issue once again at full-time, reiterating his opinion that it was a perfectly valid goal.
That is a goal, I don't care what anyone says...
Alistair Johnston realises he is underneath the ball and just throws himself forward. There is the slightest of touches, is it enough for him to fall over the way he has? I'm not sure...
You'd be raging. Celtic would be the exact same if it was the other end of the pitch.
We need to be careful where we're going here. I was one for VAR, to bring it in and it would help the game. For once, I think I might have been wrong...
You could argue that we've seen less in terms of penalties given for a pull on the shirt. You could argue that it was a penalty for Rangers as well.
It's highly unlikely that we have heard the last of this one.
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