Chris Sutton is left speechless after witnessing ‘incredible’ footage from Rangers’ game last night.

Chris Sutton has expressed his disbelief after watching footage from Rangers’ controversial Scottish Premiership victory over St Mirren, insisting that the visitors should have been awarded a penalty during the match at Ibrox.

Rangers eventually secured all three points on Wednesday night, but their 1-0 victory was far from straightforward and was accompanied by a major talking point surrounding a first-half incident inside the home side’s penalty area.

Bojan Miovski proved to be the match-winner for Derek McInnes’ side, coming off the bench before producing the decisive moment in the 91st minute. His late goal ensured Rangers continued their impressive run of form in the league, although their manager admitted afterwards that his team remains some distance from reaching its best level.

Despite those concerns, Rangers have now won four consecutive Scottish Premiership matches. That sequence has lifted them into second position in the table, although they remain five points behind leaders Celtic.

St Mirren certainly contributed to an entertaining contest and created opportunities that could have changed the outcome. The visitors had spells where they threatened the Rangers defence and came close to taking the lead during the second half.

However, one of the biggest talking points came before the interval when St Mirren believed they had a strong claim for a penalty after an incident involving Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez and Ismael Kabia.

Kabia managed to get ahead of Fernandez inside the Rangers penalty area before the defender made a late challenge. The St Mirren attacker was attempting to move away from the centre-back when Fernandez appeared to catch his opponent’s boot.

Despite the contact, referee Don Robertson decided not to award a penalty. VAR also chose not to intervene, indicating that the officials did not consider Robertson’s decision to represent a clear and obvious error under the relevant VAR threshold.

Sutton, however, strongly disagreed with that assessment.

After subsequently watching the highlights of the match, the former England striker took to X to give his verdict on the incident. His reaction suggested that he felt the penalty decision was extremely difficult to understand.

“Just watching the St Mirren highlights,” Sutton wrote. “How St Mirren weren’t awarded a penalty is incredible.”

The former striker’s view has been shared by a number of people who have reviewed the incident, although there is an important question surrounding how the laws of the game apply to challenges of this nature.

One of the key details is that Kabia managed to release the ball before the contact from Fernandez occurred. That may help explain why the St Mirren players did not protest the decision as strongly as might have been expected immediately after the incident.

Nevertheless, former Scottish referee Bobby Madden has since provided his own assessment of the challenge and offered an explanation of the circumstances in which such contact can constitute a foul.

Madden discussed the incident in a video published on Instagram and focused on the timing and nature of Fernandez’s challenge.

“You can see the attacker plays the ball away from the defender, who comes in late and steps on the foot of the attacker,” Madden explained.

He then referred to guidance contained within UEFA’s Clear Lines framework, which is designed to help officials assess situations involving contact and challenges.

Madden explained that the laws distinguish between different levels of contact and that a challenge can still be penalised even when the attacker has already moved the ball away.

He pointed out that a direct free-kick should be awarded when a player acts carelessly, shows insufficient consideration for an opponent or disregards the potential consequences of the challenge.

In a penalty-area situation, that principle can result in a spot-kick if the contact meets the necessary threshold.

Madden continued by explaining how UEFA’s guidance approaches incidents involving a player stepping on an opponent’s foot.

“Clear Lines states that there should be a penalty awarded or VAR intervention if the step on foot is clear, a significant degree of intensity or it impacts on the attacker,” he said.

That interpretation raises questions about the decision not to award St Mirren a penalty, particularly because the footage appears to show Fernandez arriving late and making contact with Kabia’s foot.

From Rangers’ perspective, however, the decision ultimately worked in their favour and allowed them to remain level before eventually finding the winning goal late in the contest.

The incident is unlikely to dominate Rangers’ season by itself, especially given the number of controversial refereeing decisions that can occur across a full campaign. However, it has added another layer to the discussion surrounding the club’s latest victory.

McInnes will undoubtedly be pleased that his side managed to secure another three points despite not producing their best football. Rangers have now put together a run of four league victories, and their ability to win matches even when performances are below their highest level could prove important as the campaign progresses.

At the same time, the St Mirren encounter demonstrated that there are still weaknesses for Rangers to address. The visitors created enough opportunities to trouble the hosts and might have taken something from the game had they been more clinical.

The penalty controversy has only intensified that discussion.

Sutton clearly believes Rangers benefited from a major officiating decision, while Madden’s explanation suggests the incident deserved much closer scrutiny under the laws.

Ultimately, Rangers escaped with a narrow victory, but the decision involving Kabia and Fernandez remains one of the biggest talking points from the match.

For St Mirren, there will inevitably be frustration that their appeal was rejected. For Rangers, it represents another occasion where they have managed to collect maximum points despite not being at their best.

As the season develops, decisions like this will inevitably attract further attention, particularly if the title race remains close. Rangers currently trail Celtic by five points, and every dropped point could become significant.

For now, though, McInnes’ team can celebrate another win and another step forward in the table. Yet Sutton’s verdict ensures the penalty incident will not simply disappear from the conversation, with the former striker adamant that St Mirren should have been given the opportunity to take a spot-kick.