Barrie McKay has an interesting recent past when it comes to Old Firm games.
The Rangers youth product scored one of the best goals of his career, if not the best, when the Gers stunned Celtic in last season’s Scottish Cup.
His next clash with the Bhoys was less memorable, with Mark Warburton’s team slipping to a 5-1 league defeat in September, but he was hoping to make amends in the semi-final of the League Cup.
Perhaps he was trying too hard, though, as referee Craig Thomson booked the winger for a dive after he went down under the challenge of Jozo Šimunović.
It was a contentious decision, and a very difficult one for Thomson to make in real-time.
Big decision early on as @RangersFC's Barrie McKay is booked for simulation inside the box. #BetfredCup https://t.co/IrmuwqSyg5
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 23, 2016
Now, show us a fan who doesn’t see any close decision in their own side’s favour and we’ll show you a liar.
And so it proved here, with the reaction to the non-penalty call going along club lines.
Celtic fans did this
That McKay dive is so desperate
— Mental As Anything CSC (@MrCliftonville) October 23, 2016
Correct decision #BetfredCup https://t.co/Zzl1omkzWA
— Kerry (@wee_kezza) October 23, 2016
And Rangers supporters…well, you can probably guess.
no way was that a dive!
— Do The Bouncy loyal (@DoTheBouncy) October 23, 2016
what a load of pish never a dive
— Dunky (@dunky68) October 23, 2016
It got worse later in the game when Celtic’s Moussa Dembélé went to ground. The French forward was not ruled to have been fouled, yet Thomson kept his cards in his pocket.
The inconsistency was definitely noticed by Gers fans.
https://twitter.com/NathanielHadden/status/790191896010317824
Someone tell me how McKay gets booked and dembele gets away with it?
— Flemingo (@Lee_fleck) October 23, 2016
We sense we haven’t heard the last of this.
You can catch up on the latest episode of JOE’s Football Friday Live right here…
