Philippe Clement would not countenance the notion of a missed opportunity to put Celtic under pressure after a last-gasp James Tavernier penalty rescued a point for Rangers at Aberdeen.
The cinch Premiership leaders dropped two points in their 1-1 draw at home to Motherwell on Saturday to give the Light Blues the chance to dig into their lead, but Clement’s side looked to be heading for defeat at Pittodrie following Bojan Miovski’s early strike.
Rangers hit the woodwork twice in the second half and then, in the final minute of normal time, after being sent by VAR Andrew Dallas to check his pitchside monitor, referee Nick Walsh pointed to the spot, judging Stefan Gartenmann had pulled Connor Goldson’s jersey at a corner.
Skipper Tavernier converted to salvage a point and preserve Clement’s unbeaten record since taking over last month, but Celtic remained eight points clear, albeit having played a game more.
“It is nothing to do with top of the table or whatever,” the Rangers boss said.
“If you had the XG that we had today, we should have scored more goals. It is a big XG for an away game against a tough opponents, all credit to Aberdeen.
“When you go behind to them they defend with a lot of numbers and a lot of passion in small spaces so it is not easy to create so many chances and then it is about centimetres.
“We should have won this game. We had the best chances. It was a day that things didn’t go our way because of a good goalkeeper and twice hitting the crossbar, but finally we got the goal.”
It was revealed earlier this week that, in the first round of top-flight fixtures, only three decisions were deemed incorrect by the Scottish Football Association’s independent review panel.
The 12 Premiership clubs held a meeting with the SFA’s referees department on Thursday to review the performance of VAR during the opening round of fixtures.
Former Belgium defender Clement confirmed himself a fan of the VAR, saying: “I was asked this question a few weeks ago, about my opinion of VAR, and I’m a fan because it makes the game more honest.
“Of course there are still some mistakes and some decisions that stay in a grey area.
“That’s also why you guys (media) have a lot of work, because there are a lot of opinions after games and I think you guys like that also.
“People respond and are fans for one team or another.
“But in the end, if you are objective, you can only say VAR makes the game more honest than in my days. So I’m a fan of that.
“Clearly, it’s a penalty. If you pull a shirt like that, you see the shirt comes like this. It’s a penalty. You cannot use your hands in that way.”
By contrast, Dons boss Barry Robson was far from convinced about the penalty, saying a late VAR decision in Rangers’ favour “doesn’t look good”.
Robson said: “I wasn’t at the VAR meeting – I was training and it was in Glasgow, which wasn’t great timing – but what I heard was there was a lot said about pulling jerseys in boxes and the referees said not every one is a penalty.
“So Stefan got blocked, I think we all see that, so obviously VAR have not bothered looking at the block, they have just looked at the pull of the shirt.
“We are in trouble, aren’t we, if this is the way it is going to go?
“It doesn’t look great. For me it doesn’t look good, another VAR decision going Rangers way in the 90th minute again.”
Asked what he meant by “it doesn’t look good”, he replied: “It is just a goal in the 90th minute – that’s it.”
Asked what he said to referee Walsh after the game, he said: “I hope you got it right. There’s too many decisions been wrong in Scotland.”
'Super simple' – Lille president rules out January exit for Jonathan David
Lille president Olivier Letang has categorically ruled out a January exit for forward Jonathan David amid links with a number of European clubs.
David is out of contract at the end of the season and has been touted as a target for the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona.
Speaking this week, the Canada international named Barcelona as his "dream" club but suggested he would prefer not to leave Lille mid-season.
And in an interview with After Foot RMC, Letang confirmed no bids have yet been tabled ahead of the January window.
"We are not going to sell him in January, and we have not received any offer for him," he said.
"Jonathan's situation is super simple. We are very happy to have him with us.
"Last season he had one more year left on his contract. We were trying to qualify for the Champions League.
"You have a guy who scores 20 to 25 goals a season. We had no obligation to sell him."
David is into his fifth season with Lille and has scored 97 goals in 202 games for the Ligue 1 side in all competitions while assisting a further 18.
Seven of those goals have arrived in 11 appearances this term, including in Champions League games against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
The 24-year-old's best league season with Lille saw him score 24 goals in 2022-23, while he has netted 19, 15 and 13 in the other full campaigns.
Lille chief Letang reiterated that David has been offered a new deal to stay on at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but selling him has never been an option.
"He is a player who scores between 20 and 25 goals and helps us qualify for the Champions League," he said.
"Plus, Jonathan loves Lille, which is his club. Our position was very clear from the beginning – we think of the athlete.
"Obviously, he already has an offer that is in his hands, the ball is in his court."
Guardiola suggests Man City's recent form played part in signing new contract
Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City's run of four successive defeats was part of the reason for his contract extension.
The 53-year-old recently signed a two-year deal, which will run out in 2027, ending months of speculation about his future after his contract had been due to run out at the end of the campaign.
Following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton before the international break, Guardiola's side have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.
"I felt I could not leave now. Maybe the four defeats was why," he told the club's website.
"I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it's the truth."
Guardiola has led Manchester City to 18 major trophies during his nine-year stint at the club and posted a 72% win ratio.
He added that he was determined to help the club get back to a state where they are "more stable and more consistent".
"We have to recover that because right now we don't have it and that's the target we have to do," he said.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: "Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep's journey with Manchester City will continue, allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.
"His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large."
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
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