Emmanuel Fernandez received a new red card verdict from Rangers in the match against Celtic as referee John Beaton ‘saves’ the star.

Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez has been at the centre of continued debate following the Old Firm victory over Celtic, with fresh opinions emerging over whether referee John Beaton should have dismissed him at Celtic Park.

Fernandez had already been shown a yellow card inside the opening five minutes of Sunday’s derby after pulling down Camilo Duran during an attacking move.

The Rangers centre-back then found himself involved in another challenge shortly afterwards, this time bringing down Celtic playmaker Benjamin Nygren while already carrying a booking.

Beaton decided against producing another card and instead allowed the match to continue, meaning Fernandez remained on the pitch as Rangers eventually secured a 1-0 victory.

Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez tussles with Celtic star Benjamin Nygren

The decision has attracted considerable discussion since the final whistle, with several former players and refereeing figures questioning whether the Rangers defender should have been sent off.

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday believes Fernandez was fortunate to avoid a second yellow card, although he suggested the timing of the incident may have influenced the referee’s decision.

Fernandez escapes another booking

Fernandez’s first booking came early in the contest when he stopped Duran by pulling him down in the attacking third.

Only a short time later, the Rangers defender committed another foul on Nygren.

Because Fernandez had already been cautioned, another yellow card would automatically have resulted in his dismissal.

However, Beaton chose not to intervene with another booking.

The referee’s decision has since been examined from several different perspectives.

Record Sport’s refereeing analyst Des Roache was among those who believed Fernandez had been fortunate.

Roache argued that the challenge on Nygren could reasonably have been punished with a yellow card and therefore should have resulted in a red.

He described the incident as a clear foul and suggested there was sufficient justification for a second caution.

His assessment was that Fernandez escaped punishment despite committing an offence that, under normal circumstances, could have warranted a booking.

That view has been echoed by other former players.

Halliday says timing helped Fernandez

Halliday offered a slightly different interpretation while speaking on BBC Sportsound.

The former Rangers player accepted that Fernandez could not have complained if Beaton had decided to show him a second yellow card.

However, Halliday felt there was some uncertainty surrounding the exact nature of the challenge.

He explained that when the incident is viewed again, it appeared that the two players had effectively kicked into each other.

According to Halliday, situations like that can sometimes result in a yellow card while referees can also decide that no further punishment is required.

Despite that, he admitted Fernandez was fortunate.

The former Rangers midfielder suggested that the defender’s biggest piece of luck was the fact that the incident occurred so early in the game.

Fernandez had already been booked, meaning a second yellow would have forced Rangers to play the majority of the match with ten men.

Halliday believed the referee may have considered the timing when making his decision.

His argument was that the outcome could have been completely different if the same challenge had occurred much later.

Halliday suggested that if Fernandez had committed the same offence around the 80-minute mark while already booked, he would expect the referee to send him off.

Rangers’ Emmanuel Fernandez fouls Celtic’s Camilo Duran(Image: SNS Group)

The implication was that Fernandez benefited from the early stage of the match, even though the former Rangers player accepted that a second yellow would have been a defensible decision.

Scott Brown disagrees

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown took a much stronger position when asked for his assessment of the incident.

Brown was asked whether he considered the challenge worthy of a second booking and gave a clear response.

He said that he did.

The former Celtic midfielder also highlighted Beaton’s positioning.

Brown felt the referee was in an excellent position to see exactly what had happened, making the decision not to issue another yellow card even more significant in his view.

For Brown, a red card would have dramatically changed the contest.

Rangers were eventually able to hold onto their lead and claim another important Old Firm victory, but Brown believes the potential dismissal could have altered the entire balance of the game.

His assessment was straightforward: the decision mattered because Rangers would have been reduced to ten men had Fernandez received the second yellow.

Sutton also questions decision

Chris Sutton shared Brown’s opinion during Sky Sports coverage.

The former Celtic striker described Fernandez’s challenge as reckless and argued that the Rangers defender was fortunate to remain on the field.

Sutton’s assessment added another high-profile voice to those questioning Beaton’s decision.

The incident has therefore produced differing interpretations, although there is a common theme among the former players discussing it.

Halliday accepts Fernandez was lucky but believes the early timing of the incident may have influenced the referee.

Brown, meanwhile, believes Fernandez should have been booked again and points to Beaton’s position as evidence that the referee was well placed to make the correct decision.

Sutton was similarly critical and considered the challenge sufficiently reckless to warrant punishment.

Did Beaton make the right call?

The debate ultimately centres on whether the second incident should have resulted in a yellow card.

Had Beaton shown Fernandez another booking, Rangers would have been forced to play with ten men for almost the entire match.

That could have dramatically changed the derby, particularly given how important the game was to both sides.

Instead, Fernandez remained on the pitch and Rangers went on to secure a 1-0 victory.

The defender therefore played a full part in helping Derek McInnes’ team collect another important result against Celtic.

While there is disagreement over the exact nature of the challenge, the decision will continue to attract attention because of the potential consequences.

Halliday’s argument is that Fernandez benefited from the incident occurring so early, while Brown and Sutton believe the challenge should have led to another booking.

With the Old Firm rivalry already producing intense debate, the Fernandez incident has added another talking point to Rangers’ latest victory at Celtic Park.