Paul Paton insists he feels a sense of injustice over crucial decisions that are going against Dundee United in their four-game “mini-series” against Celtic.
The Tangerines were seething that they were denied what they felt was a stonewall spot-kick in Sunday’s League Cup Final at Hampden when Ryan Dow was sent tumbling in the Celtic penalty area by Scott Brown.
Then, during Wednesday night’s William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final replay at Parkhead, Paton was convinced Efe Ambrose should have been sent off at the start of the second half during a rare spell of United dominance as they chased a 2-0 deficit.
The Nigerian defender had been booked in the first half and then committed a foul on Nadir Ciftci which Paton insists merited a second yellow.
Instead, he escaped without further punishment from referee Calum Murray and the Hoops went on to convincingly win 4-0.
When asked if he felt Ambrose was lucky to stay on the pitch, the midfielder said: “I did. You have seen it in the last few games things like that going against you when you play Celtic.
“How he stayed on the park I will never know. It was a clear yellow card but we just don’t seem to get those things.
“I don’t know if it is just coincidence but you saw at the weekend we didn’t get a clear penalty.
“Ambrose probably should have been sent off when we were on top in the game but it didn’t happen. Small things like that change games.
“There seems to have been a bit of injustice in the last few matches against them.
“It seems continuous but we will just have to get on with it.
“We will come here again on Saturday with a clean slate.”
Celtic manager Ronnie Deila has not been shy in coming forward with opinions on United players following the first three matches between the sides.
However, Paton admits it is not something that concerns him.
He said: “I don’t pay a lot of attention to what Ronnie Deila says or who he puts pressure on.
“I think as a club maybe they can manipulate people a wee bit more than clubs like Dundee United can but that has been happening for years.”
While Ambrose may have escaped a red card on Wednesday, Mr Murray was not so lenient late on in the game, dismissing Celtic’s Anthony Stokes for tangling with Paton and then sending off the Tangerines Ryan McGowan for a tackle on Liam Henderson which the official deemed dangerous.
The two dismissals took the red card count to six over the three games between the sides however Paton stressed Wednesday’s match was not a dirty one overall.
He said: “I think it (the red cards) is just one of those things.
“It has maybe been taken a wee bit out of context. I don’t think there were a lot of bad challenges in the game.
“I don’t think it was like that and I felt Gowser didn’t deserve to be sent off.
“It was a hard tackle but he has clearly taken the ball.
“Having said that, I might be biased and I would have to look at the tackle back but I didn’t think there was too much in it but they have made a lot of it.”
Paton was coy about expanding on exactly what happened between him and Stokes saying: “What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch.
“I have run across him and I’m not sure if he felt I hit him or whatever but he has lashed out and I think he caught me on the side of the face.
“But these things happen in the game and you just have to get on with it.
“I don’t know if I have caught him but it certainly was not intentional.”