Neil Lennon has set the record straight after Sam Cosgrove’s red card against Celtic on Saturday.
The Aberdeen striker was shown a straight red card by referee Euan Anderson for a dangerous high speed attack on Kris Ajer that his manager described as a great tackle.
After the match Derek McInnes told the media that Lennon agreed with his view but this morning the Celtic boss had a different take on events.
The Daily Record reported:
He did get a lot of the ball but there was intent there. I didn’t think he needed to make the challenge in that area and the way he did it.
Ten years ago I would have been happy with a challenge like that but with the game as it is now, on the follow-through it maybe could have hurt Kristoffer and he is maybe lucky that he didn’t come off with a bad injury or an injury of some sort.
Looking at it at the time, it was a full-blooded challenge but when you see it again I am thinking, ‘Why are you making a challenge like that? You are setting yourself up for trouble’.
So the way the game is, it was probably the correct decision. You always worry when a player has left the ground that the excessive force could be dangerous.
Ajer’s evasive action avoided injury as Cosgrove flew in with both feet off the ground, his right foot making contact with the ball as his left attempted to make contact with the Celtic defender.
Cosgrove had equalised for Aberdeen 10 minutes before half time but after Odsonne Edouard restored Celtic’s lead the red mist came down on the former Carlisle United striker.
The SFA will hear an appeal against the red card today- any outcome is likely.