Robbie Savage was perplexed after referee John Beaton awarded Hibernian a penalty in their 3-3 draw with Rangers.
The Gers seized the lead after only four minutes, with Hamza Igamane making it 2-0 in the 19th minute, but the hosts rallied to make it 2-1 before halftime due to Martin Boyle.
Beaton juar awarded Hibs a penalty after the hour after Ianis Hagi tried to acquire the ball from Josh Campbell as he entered the box, but the referee determined he took none of the ball, and Hibernian scored to tie the score.
Savage disagreed with the penalty judgment, saying live on BBC Radio 5 Live broadcast 606 (5 January, 18:40): “How is that a penalty?”
“The Hibs player kicked a Rangers player. Never a penalty.
“He [Hagi] got goalside and got booted.
“If he gets in front and is kicked, how is that a penalty?”
“He was goalside, got his body between the goal and the ball, and got booted. “Hagi was on the goal side.”
Rangers secure a point against Hibernian.
Rangers will be frustrated to have just taken one point from this game, especially after taking the lead early on and moving ahead 3-2 thanks to Igamane’s hat-trick.
Hagi will undoubtedly feel some guilt now that a penalty has been awarded following his challenge.
You can see Savage’s point of view because it was most likely a soft call for a foul, and it provided the hosts with the necessary lift to change the game. However, you have to question the 26-year-old’s decision-making because a challenge like his in the box is always risky.
Fortunately for Philippe Clement, Igamane was the star once again, scoring a flawless hat-trick, but the fact that they lost the lead again is cause for concern.
However, the Gers will have been seeking to build on their 3-0 triumph over Celtic on Thursday (2 December), so the pressure remains, with consistency desperately needed from the Ibrox side.
