St Johnstone’s losing run has moved on to seven matches.
Defeat to Rangers was a predictable result but Saints will rightly feel aggrieved that a refereeing performance gave them little to no chance of taking a point at Ibrox.
One red card given and one not given was the main narrative here.
That it ended 2-0 – a James Tavernier penalty and a Glen Kamara 57th minute strike – in those circumstances was no calamity.
Saints’ big game in a three-match week is at Fir Park on Wednesday night.
Talking points
This was the Willie Collum show unfortunately.
Anybody paying the slightest bit of attention to Scottish football will know that hand ball penalty awards have become an intolerable pandemic.
If Collum hadn’t pointed to the spot when a cross that came off Connor Goldson and struck James Brown’s arm, Nick Walsh on VAR duty would have called him over to the pitchside monitor.
That’s where we are with this rule.
The big controversy – and where Collum got things badly wrong – was his take on what merits a red card.
Nicky Clark was ordered off on 33 minutes for taking Ryan Jack down near the half-way line after getting a touch on the ball first.
It was a debatable red, let’s say. But justifiable.
What wasn’t debatable was Jack’s late and dangerous lunge on Adam Montgomery’s ankle that Collum deemed to only be worthy of a yellow.
And, to rub a bucket of salt in the wound, he stuck by that decision after Walsh told him to review it.
Ryan Jack tackle reviewed by VAR.
Straight leg off the ground.
Yellow card. pic.twitter.com/cFuIzftdNQ— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) January 28, 2023
Football-wise, Saints couldn’t blame Collum for a glorious chance they passed up deep into first half injury-time.
It would still have left them with a mountain to climb if it had been 1-1 at the break rather than 1-0 but opportunities don’t come much better than being through on Allan McGregor one v one.
Sadly, Drey Wright took a heavy touch and by the time he had gone round the Rangers goalkeeper the angle was narrow and he fell over while trying to shoot.
Player ratings
Matthews 8, Gordon 7, Considine 7, Brown 6, Montgomery 6, Wright 5 (Carey 4), MacPherson 7, Phillips 7 (Wotherspoon 4), Hallberg 6 (May 4), Clark 5, McLennan 7 (Crawford 3).
Saints’ star man – Remi Matthews
The on-loan Crystal Palace keeper was in top form.
The two leading candidates for save of the day were denying Alfredo Morelos when he was the only man the Rangers striker had to beat in the first half and a reaction stop to divert a Ryan Kent shot past the post early in the second.
Remi Matthews definitely not keen for Ross Sinclair to be coming in to take the #1 shirt just yet. Keeper.
— Susie G (@susietrio) January 28, 2023
Manager under the microscope
You don’t often see Callum Davidson getting booked and that tells you the level of his anger at Collum’s decision-making.
Given this is the second hardest away fixture in the Premiership calendar, that spoke volumes about how he felt it went the week before.
There was no change in tactics or personnel that would have impacted the result after Rangers scored their second goal in this contest, you suspect.
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