Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton believes that Scott Arfield’s goal last weekend was ‘legitimate’.
The Gers secured a routine 4-0 victory in their most recent Scottish Premiership outing last weekend as the Ibrox side recorded back-to-back league wins.
A red card to Cameron Devlin at the end of the first half aided the victory for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, although they were two goals in front inside half an hour thanks to a brace from Antonio Colak.
Nevertheless, the victory could have been by a greater margin had Arfield not seen his strike ruled out for an apparent foul from Rabbi Matondo on Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
On Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher claimed if the goal had been given, the shot-stopper would have had little to complain about – and Hutton also feels it should have stood.
He told Football Insider: “It is a goal, for me.
“I know there has been a lot of back and forth with different pundits and trying to analyse it. It is a cross into the box, Craig Gordon comes out and gets nowhere near it. He actually lands on Matondo and kind of puts him to the floor and then Arfield puts in a tap-in.
“So, for me, it should stand. It is a legitimate goal. I think if VAR looks at it, they see that as well. I just think Craig Gordon has made a meal of it. The referee obviously sees it on his side as a foul, but not for me.”
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While the decision meant little for the result, Light Blues supporters will be glad to read that although VAR is set to be introduced after the World Cup in Qatar, its implementation may be ‘imminent’.
On the Get Involved Referee! podcast, it was claimed the technology could be in use prior to the mid-season break.
Having scored twice already from midfield in the SPFL this season, Arfield himself may feel aggrieved, but all things considered, he will be glad he and his teammates managed to hand their Edinburgh hosts their first home defeat of the campaign and maintain their two-point gap to arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table.