Exclusive: reacts after Johnston concedes Celtic penalty to Ross County
Keith Hackett has weighed in on Matthew MacDermid’s decision to award a penalty against Celtic defender Alistair Johnston during their 4-1 win over Ross County.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the Canada international clearly impeded Kieran Phillips from behind, justifying the penalty decision.
Brendan Rodgers’ side secured a crucial victory in the Scottish Premiership, maintaining their lead at the top with the win at Dingwall. However, Celtic were briefly rattled when Ross County equalized to make it 1-1 with 30 minutes remaining, and Hackett believes there were no complaints to be made regarding the equalizer.
Celtic had taken the lead in the first half, with Kyogo Furuhashi scoring just before the break. But Ross County were given a lifeline an hour into the match after a penalty was awarded against Celtic. Jack Grieves delivered a cross into the penalty area, and Phillips managed to get in front of Johnston at the back post before going down under pressure from the defender, leading MacDermid to point to the spot. The decision was confirmed after a VAR review, and Jordan White converted the penalty.
Hackett supported the referee’s decision, stating: “There is no doubt that Scottish referees consistently penalize upper body fouls inside the penalty area. The defender was caught out of position and clearly leaned into the back of his opponent. The referee made a decisive and correct decision in awarding the penalty.”
Despite the scare, Furuhashi scored again, and Arne Engels and Luke McCowan also added goals, securing a comprehensive 4-1 win for Celtic. With the victory, they now hold an 18-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although they have played one game more, bouncing back from their recent defeat to their Old Firm rivals.
In other news, Celtic are intensifying their search for a replacement for Daizen Maeda.
