Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes Rangers were denied a penalty before their “cruel” defeat to Celtic in the League Cup final.
Celtic won the trophy courtesy of a tight penalty shoot-out after the teams drew 3-3 in a thrilling 120 minutes at Hampden Park.
But Clement was left mocking VAR, believing his side should have been awarded a penalty early in the second half in what would have been a key turning point in the game.
Liam Scales grabbed a handful of Vaclav Cerny's shirt and pulled him to the ground, receiving a yellow card for the foul. A free kick was awarded just on the edge of the box.
Celtic's Liam Scales brings down Rangers' Vaclav Cerny on the edge of the penalty box
“I don't know if you've seen the images back, but my phone is full of the penalty situation with Cerny.
“Of course, he (the referee) cannot see that moment. But he didn't receive communication from the VAR to come and look at the screen, which is a very strange situation for me. At least there is no look at that type of situation in this type of game, about the situation that the referee can make a decision in that way.
“I didn't see it at the time because I still have good eyes, but I can't see that distance if the foot is outside or inside or on the line.
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Sky Sports News is tipping Celtic to beat Rangers to lift the Scottish League Cup
“So no, but my phone is full of messages from everyone. I don't know. So those are things I can't control.
“I know everyone (the media) likes to dive deep into things so maybe it's an important time to dig into that. Why is there no discussion at the moment about such a big decision because it is clear to everyone that it is a game. decision decision.”
Clement has yet to beat Celtic as Rangers manager but was proud of the attitude of his players.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement supports Ridvan Yilmaz
“I would not like to be here talking about a penalty because I want to talk about the team and what they did today,” said Clement. “How brave they were after a big European night on Thursday and taking a lot against Tottenham.
“Two less days of recovery and showing the physical levels they did today.
“Also the spirit of the team and the mentality and good football. I think it was a very good game for Scottish football, this final.
“Everyone can be happy about that but you want to win the cup.
“But we had to do a lot of extra things to get him on our side if you don't get a penalty like that.”
He thought the case, which came after Ridvan Yilmaz was the only player to fail his penalty, was “cruel”.
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