'One of my staff said ...': Rangers VAR decision comes under microscope as 'rule' queried by Steven MacLean

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean was given reason to believe his team could have been on the wrong end of a VAR call following the 2-0 loss to Rangers.

Steven MacLean's St Johnstone team were defeated 2-0 at home by Rangers.

Six minutes into the second period, with the visitors a single-goal ahead, Chris Kane ended up on the floor after a tussle with Tom Lawrence at a corner. A VAR check ensued, with Gavin Duncan adjudging there had been no infringement, but MacLean revealed that opinion was not shared among the Perth club’s coaching team. “One of my staff said there were two hands round Kane but I haven’t looked back,” he said. “I will have a look. VAR is meant to check them so they should get them right.”

MacLean had his own quibble with the officialdom after he was yellow-carded by referee Nick Walsh in peculiar circumstances as the result of a later VAR intervention on an afternoon in which there were several breaks in play to allow for checks. “The rules are VAR checks the game when the play stops,” said the St Johnstone manager. “We have a counter-attack and the play is stopped. They are trying to tell me that’s the rule, it was news to me. I tried to ask him [Walsh] a question when he came over to speak to me, he wouldn’t let me.”

MacLean’s over-riding frustration was the manner in which Rangers’ two goals - from Danilo in 16 minutes, and Rabbi Matondo after 79 minutes - came about. “They were two poor goals to lose,” he said. “The first came from our corner. We then get done on the transition and don’t run back towards our goal quickly enough. We just don’t pick him up inside the box. The second goal too was disappointing because again we had possession of the ball. Shape wise and effort I thought was good.”