Foster agrees with Peter Grant on the Rangers-Celtic controversy after what he witnessed, saying, “Not often I agree.”

Richard Foster has agreed with former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant that Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez was fortunate to remain on the pitch during Sunday’s Old Firm clash at Celtic Park.

Derek McInnes’ Rangers secured another victory over their city rivals, recording a 1-0 success at Celtic Park to make it two Old Firm wins in the space of just over a week.

Ryan Naderi’s goal proved decisive as Rangers collected another three points and reduced the distance between themselves and the top of the Scottish Premiership to only two points.

The result followed their impressive 3-0 victory over Celtic at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final the previous weekend.

Rangers have now won six consecutive matches in all competitions and head into the international break with considerable momentum.

However, their latest victory was not completely free from controversy, with Fernandez at the centre of a major talking point involving his challenges on Celtic players.

Fernandez escapes red-card controversy

There was little argument that Rangers deserved their victory based on their overall performance.

McInnes’ side controlled large periods of the contest and arguably made the 1-0 scoreline look closer than the actual balance of play suggested.

Celtic once again struggled to find answers against their rivals, having suffered another defeat against Rangers only days after their cup loss at Ibrox.

However, one incident could have changed the course of the match.

Fernandez was involved in an early challenge with Camilo Duran which resulted in him receiving a yellow card. The Rangers defender then became involved in another incident later in the game when he fouled Benjamin Nygren.

Referee John Beaton decided against showing Fernandez a second yellow card, meaning the defender remained on the field for the remainder of the match.

That decision has since been questioned by both Grant and Foster.

Grant, speaking during the Go Radio Football Show, argued that Fernandez had been fortunate on both occasions and believed the second challenge clearly deserved another booking.

The former Celtic player explained that he had watched the first incident closely and felt Fernandez had already benefited from the referee’s decision.

He then turned his attention to the challenge involving Nygren, insisting that it should have resulted in another yellow card.

Grant acknowledged that some people might argue that the timing of the incident, particularly because it occurred relatively early in such an important fixture, should influence the referee.

However, he rejected that argument.

His view was that the laws of the game should be applied regardless of whether the match is an Old Firm derby or whether the incident happens early in the contest.

Foster agrees with Grant

Foster, who previously represented Rangers, surprisingly found himself agreeing with Grant’s assessment.

The former defender said Fernandez was fortunate to still be playing and accepted that the first challenge could reasonably have resulted in a yellow card.

However, he felt the second incident was even clearer.

Foster pointed out that Nygren was moving into the penalty area with an opportunity to continue an attacking move. There were Rangers defenders in front of him, but the Celtic player was still in a position where he could potentially get a shot away.

For Foster, that meant the challenge clearly stopped what could be described as a promising attack.

He questioned why Beaton did not produce another yellow card.

The former Rangers defender also dismissed the idea that the fact the incident happened early in the match should make any difference to the referee’s decision.

If a player commits two separate offences that are worthy of yellow cards, Foster argued, the second offence should result in a sending-off regardless of the stage of the game.

Foster revealed that he had watched the incident when it happened and then reviewed it again the following morning.

He also referenced former referee Bobby Madden’s analysis before admitting that he does not often find himself agreeing with Grant.

However, on this occasion, Foster said Grant was correct.

His conclusion was straightforward: Fernandez should have received a second booking.

Did Rangers get fortunate?

The question now is whether Rangers can be said to have benefited from a refereeing decision during their victory.

There is certainly a case that Fernandez could have been dismissed on another day.

Had Rangers been reduced to ten players early in the contest, the complexion of the derby could have been completely different.

However, the overall assessment remains that Rangers were the stronger team and deserved to take all three points.

Their performance was convincing enough that the refereeing controversy did not completely overshadow their superiority.

Celtic struggled to create enough attacking opportunities and once again failed to find a solution against McInnes’ side.

Rangers, meanwhile, defended their advantage and saw out another important victory.

The Fernandez situation can therefore be viewed as an element of fortune rather than something that fundamentally changed the result.

There have been numerous occasions in the past when Rangers have felt that important refereeing decisions went against them, particularly in major fixtures.

From that perspective, some supporters will argue that controversial decisions eventually balance themselves out over time.

The incident remains subjective to some extent, but the fact that two former players from opposite sides of the Old Firm have independently questioned the decision makes it an obvious talking point.

Foster’s agreement with Grant is particularly notable given his Rangers background.

Ultimately, Rangers did receive a stroke of luck with Fernandez remaining on the pitch.

But that does not necessarily diminish their performance.

McInnes’ side were superior for much of the match, extended their winning run to six games and secured another Old Firm victory.

The controversial decision may provide Celtic fans with something to debate during the international break, but Rangers will be more concerned with the three points and the growing momentum behind their season.

For now, the Fernandez incident remains another chapter in an increasingly heated Old Firm rivalry.