Dermot Gallagher clamps Clement over Rangers penalty moan as ref told Hagi foul was 'other way around'

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Dermot Gallagher has told raging Rangers boss Philippe Clement that John Beaton was right to award a penalty against his side during the clash with Hibs.

But the Belgian boss has found two allies in Ref Watch duo Stephen Warnock and Sue Smith who were left baffled that Ianis Hagi was punished for a clash with Josh Campbell in the Easter Road thriller. Hamza Igamane's double saw the Light Blues race into a 2-0 lead - before Martin Boyle found the net before the break. But Rangers would find themselves level after Hagi's tussle with Campbell in the box saw Beaton point to the spot - with Kevin Clancy in the VAR room backing up the man in the middle.

The Light Blues would take the lead again through Igamane before Rocky Bushiri rescued a point for Hibs late on - but there was only one talking point that Clement was looking at after the full-time whistle. He declared that the clumsy clash was the type of tackle that should "never" have been given - but former Premier League whistler Gallagher wasn't having the argument.

He told Sky Sports: "The referee thinks he is clumsy. I Think he doesn't get the ball, and again I think this goes all the way back to an on-field decision. You want the referees to feel empowered, the referee has made the decision and I don't think that VAR is going to overturn it."

Pressed on Hagi getting to the ball first, Gallagher went on: "I was brought up if you are side by side with somebody they can bang you off the ball - that's accepted. I was taught to get across the defender. The defender tries to get across him there - but the referee thinks it's clumsy and gives a penalty. I think when you see that the on-field decision is always going to stand, the VAR is not going to intervene because he is of the opinion it's tangled legs caused by a Rangers player."

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Warnock chimed in to support the Rangers boss: "I don't understand how you can give that. I think you just go back to the screen and look at it again. If he stands by his decision we have a problem because he doesn't know the game, if he goes to the screen you get the right decision. How it's given as a penalty I will never know."

Smith added: "Completely agreed. I don't think it's a penalty at all for all the reasons you have just said there. It's the other way round, if anything."

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