Motherwell ace refuses to use referee excuse for Celtic loss

Callum Slattery refused to use refereeing decisions as an excuse as to why Motherwell lost 2-0 to Celtic at Fir park.

Motherwell's Callum Slattery felt he was fouled by Kyogo Furhashi in the build-up to Celtic's opening goal. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Jota and former Well star David Turnbull scored for the Parkhead side but controversy surrounded two key incidents in the game.

It was viewed that midfielder Slattery was fouled in the build-up to Jota’s first-half strike, while Motherwell felt they were denied a “blatant penalty” for a handball, although footage suggested Kevin van Veen had done so a split second prior.

Slattery said: “We did create a few chances, maybe not as clear cut as we would have liked, but we certainly had spells in the game where we were on top and causing a problem.

“I thought it was a foul but I am not going to say that is the reason for the scoreline.

“The referee has got some things right and some things wrong but I did think that one was a penalty.”

Slattery is one of the most combative players in the league – no one has been fouled more or committed more fouls – and he is enjoying Scottish football.

“It is enjoyable to be playing football week in, week out and in a team that is quite together and we know what we want and expect from each other and what the manager expects from us.”

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today