RANGERS manager Philippe Clement tonight bemoaned the “really weird” penalty decisions during the Ibrox club’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
Clement questioned why his side had not been awarded a spot kick by referee David Dickinson in the closing stages of the cinch Premiership match in area after the ball struck the arm of the hosts’ defender Lewis Mayo.
VAR official Andrew Dallas looked at a replay of the incident at Clydesdale House and decided that no further action should be taken.
Clement was perplexed why the ruling went against his team when Derek McInnes’s men had been given a penalty in the first half when John Lundstram handled a Danny Armstrong cross with his outstretched arm.
The Belgian, whose team remained two points ahead of Celtic at the top of the Premiership as a result of the victory, admitted that he would like the match official and his colleague to give him explanations for their calls.
READ MORE: Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 2: Philippe Clement's men stage fightback to remain in top spot
“We had a penalty given against us but we could have had an easier last five minutes if we’d also been given a penalty,” he said. “I want to hear the reason why they give the first penalty and the second not.
“That’s really not clear for me. So we go back to the story about handballs. I hope you guys can explain something about that because it was a really weird situation again for me.”
Clement was delighted with the fighting spirit that Rangers showed to come from 1-0 down and win 2-1 – and also with the backing which the Ibrox club received from their supporters during the course of the 90 minutes.
“He is always there,” he said. “He fights hard for the team because it is not only about scores and stats but also about doing a defensive job. And he stays positive. He’s keeps on fighting until the last second. He gives everything and his mentality has become more and more [evident] in the team.
“And also in the fans. They were also great. They were amazing. You can become negative because in the first half you go before and it’s difficult to create chances. But they kept on singing and pushing.
“And they know the team will do everything to get three points so this connection that is now between fans and the team is also major for me.”
READ MORE: Clement hails 'massive' Rangers comeback win over Kilmarnock
Clement continued: “But you can speak about 11 players or 15 or 16 players who did major things to get the result. That is also all credit to Derek and his team, who made it a really big fight and what they have been doing all these months.
“In 15 games, Kilmarnock only lost twice. Two times against us and the rest they didn’t lose one of the games. So huge credit also to Kilmarnock that they make it a really big fight. Of course they are more used to these circumstances.
"Apparently we needed some time to adapt to the circumstances also because I saw a big difference in the second half also.”
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