Rangers came from behind to triumph 4-2 at Rugby Park on Wednesday, with Cyriel Dessers’ first goal against Kilmarnock surrounded by controversy.
Barry Ferguson was stunned as Killie raced into a two-goal lead after 14 minutes, but a crucial earlier substitute to hook Clinton Nsiala before the half-hour mark proved critical.
Vaclav Cerny equalized 10 minutes before halftime, but Dessers, 30, scored twice in the second half to put the Gers ahead, with Nedim Bajrami finishing the six-goal thriller in the 85th minute.
The first of Dessers’ goals sparked outrage, with Derek McInnes complaining about how it was allowed to happen after the game.
Keith Hackett slams Don Robertson’s helper in Kilmarnock v Rangers.
McInnes, who is rumored to be the next Rangers manager, chastised referee Don Robertson for awarding Ferguson’s team the corner that Dessers scored from.
When Ianis Hagi’s attempt sailed wide, Robertson immediately pointed for a goal kick. However, Keith Hackett believes that the referee was misled by an overzealous assistant.
“The referee was in a good position and correctly determined that it was a goal kick. He should have stayed with his original decision,” the former PGMOL general manager told Ibrox News.
“It’s clear that the assistant was not looking at his colleague when he raised his flag to indicate a corner kick.” By doing so, it generated doubt in the referee’s mind, prompting him to reverse his judgment to a corner kick.
“When this happens, everyone at the game is left with doubts about the award.
“There was an evident breakdown in coordination between the referee and an unhelpful assistant, who raised the flag.
“Before raising his flag, the assistant should have looked at his colleague and acknowledged the referee’s position and solid decision. “He should have kept his flag down.”
Dessers seizes his opportunities in Rangers’ triumph.
Despite all of the criticism Dessers receives from Rangers fans, he does score a lot of goals.
While some argue that he should score more, Dessers has 20 goals in 41 games across all competitions this season, averaging nearly one goal every other game.
According to FotMob, Desser’s xG in the Scottish Premiership is 9.2, yet he has scored 10 goals, indicating that he is actually outperforming in that tournament.
