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Dermot Gallagher cleared St Johnstone after Celtic were controversially denied a penalty as they climbed to the top of the Scottish Premiership.
A fight in the goalmouth after Paulo Bernardo’s advance in the box eventually saw the ball fall to Daizen Maeda, where the Japanese foreigner saw his shot blocked through Luke Robinson from near the goal line. Although the ball gave the impression of hitting the arm of St Johnstone referee Euan Anderson, it did not point to the penalty spot.
Chris Graham, in the VAR room, introduced a handball control, but the boy in the middle was not sent to the monitor because the off-field team subsidized the referee. And Gallagher, a former English Premier League whistler, said “common sense. “had prevailed.
He told Sky Sports on Ref Watch: “I have to say it’s a sensible decision and not unusual. The referee is right and when you look at that, he touches his arm and he’s at the finish line.
“He has no chance of avoiding it. If a referee awards a penalty, then he will have to draw a red card. It’s too hard. How far away are they? I think the referee did the right thing, there’s no way around it. him to keep the ball from hitting him. “