Danny Rohl furious as Rangers denied stoppage-time penalty in 2-2 draw with Livingston
Rangers boss Danny Rohl expressed his frustration after his side were denied what he felt was a “clear foul” on the edge of the box during stoppage time in their 2-2 draw with bottom-of-the-table Livingston.
The Ibrox outfit had battled back from a two-goal deficit and were pressing for a dramatic winner against 10-man Livi when Mikey Moore was brought down by Cammy Kerr just as he prepared to shoot. Referee Ryan Lee allowed play to continue, and VAR confirmed that the contact had occurred just outside the penalty area following a lengthy review.
Rohl, however, was unconvinced by the decision. “For me, it’s a clear foul,” he said. “I think it’s on the line. Then it’s two decisions—if it’s outside, it’s a red card and a free kick; if it’s inside, it’s a penalty and a yellow card. There’s no contact on the ball, it’s on the man. These are crucial moments in the title race.”
The Rangers manager also questioned why the referee wasn’t sent to the pitch-side monitor, adding: “I was surprised that the ref did not watch it back. Maybe he has an explanation, but we have 100 minutes to decide this game earlier.”
Earlier in the match, Livingston had taken the lead through Brooklyn Kabongolo’s 14th-minute volley and Lewis Smith’s early second-half strike. Rangers responded after Cristian Montano’s sending off for denying Djeidi Gassama a clear goalscoring opportunity, with Emmanuel Fernandez pulling one back in the 81st minute and Moore equalising in the 88th.
Despite dropping points, Rohl praised his players’ character. “It’s hard at 2-0 down to come back. We showed big character. I made tactical changes, brought on three centre-forwards and pushed a centre-back back. We tried everything.” Rangers remain four points behind Hearts and two ahead of Celtic, who lost 2-1 to Hibernian. Rohl is now looking ahead to the crucial Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
For Livingston, manager Marvin Bartley was encouraged by his side’s performance. “It’s a good point. Yes, we were 2-0 up but went down to 10 men. If you’d offered me a point before the game, I’d have taken it. We defended well, blocked everything we could, and Jerome Prior kept us in it. I’m confident this team can survive in the top flight.”
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