The Belgian watched as his team lost to a 90th-minute Adam Idah goal as the Hoops won the Scottish Cup final.
Philippe Clement chastised referee Nick Walsh and VAR for disallowing a goal that he feels would have won Rangers the Scottish Cup.
His team was leading in Saturday’s Hampden final against Celtic and thought they had struck first through Abdallah Sima after an hour. However, after a VAR review, Walsh ruled it out as a shove by Nico Raskin on Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart. Clement was furious at the decision, recalling a previous push in the game by Liam Scales on Dujon Sterling that went unpunished. The Belgian believes that if Sima’s goal had been allowed to stand, Rangers would have won the trophy.
Instead, Celtic striker Adam Idah scored in the 90th minute, capitalizing on a Jack Butland error to win the game. Clement’s anger with Walsh’s decision was palpable. He remarked, “We needed to score at that point today. However, it is disheartening to score and have it disallowed in this manner. Especially when I compare it to Scales’ effort for Sterling in the first half. It’s a lot more significant push than what happened to Hart.
“I also saw Celtic defenders grab my teammates and wrap their arms around their necks and waists at that point. It was a big decision to deny that goal. It is their decision. They are honest, but that is a murky area, not black or white, and he made the judgment. But, of course, as a manager, I am disappointed.
It was Rangers’ fifth consecutive defeat to Celtic this season, and they finished with only one trophy, the League Cup. However, on Saturday, they performed better than they have in the past against their Old Firm rivals, and Clement was pleased with their efforts. He claims Celtic officials informed him Rangers were the better team at Hampden.
Clement stated, “I’m disappointed to lose, but even Celtic fans, who aren’t neutral, told me we were the better team today.” So there are mixed feelings. We did everything to win, and everyone worked extremely hard.
“I’m proud of what the squad demonstrated today. But do we need to take action? Yes. I’m confident if we’d scored to make it 1-0, we’d have had a second chance and won the game.
“Everyone thought we had the game under control, and Celtic were becoming fatigued. But you need players in big times, and I expected more from the players that came on. We were snatching the game, and there was plenty of space.
“But several of our players are returning from injuries, and you could see that at crucial moments. They gave it their all, but I need to have a group next season that is fitter for the entire season so I’m not juggling players like today.”
Butland has been the Rangers’ rescue for most of the season, with outstanding saves and performances. But he spilled Bernardo’s shot late on, and Idah was there to punish them. Clement declined to blame his goalie for the error.
He asked, “Should Jack have done better? No, I do not think so. It’s a difficult shot, and Jack performed admirably throughout the game. So, no, I do not think so. You can always point out that he should have pushed the ball to the side. But the ball was moving through the air. It was a very unlucky period for us.”
Clement now faces a summer rebuilding work to ensure Rangers can compete with Celtic for honours next season. Out-of-contract players including John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, and Leon Balogun may be leaving the club.
And, despite the fact that he will have financial constraints, Clement says he is up for the challenge. He stated, “In situations like today, you need to bring in new players who can make a difference, and that was difficult for us.
“This should give them motivation to come back in the summer and work extremely hard. Because they understand how close it is (between Rangers and Celtic), and we want to win games like that next season.
Read more news @Â https://elegantsport.co.uk/
