Celtic secured three vital points against Aberdeen in the Premiership yesterday.
Derek McInnes has blasted Kris Ajer for his actions after Sam Cosgrove was sent off for Aberdeen during their 2-1 defeat to Celtic on Saturday afternoon at Parkhead.
The Aberdeen senior man thinks that his side were ‘harshly treated’ at Parkhead, and his player shouldn’t have seen red for his tackle on the Celtic defender – McInnes shared that Neil Lennon agreed with his thinking and told him exactly that after the game.
Celtic had opened the scoring through Christopher Jullien after seven minutes before Cosgrove levelled the scorings just before the break. Odsonne Edouard had put his side into the lead in the second-half before Cosgrove was sent off for his challenge minutes later.
After the game, McInnes was clearly fuming at the decision to send his player off, as he explained why it wasn’t a red and what Lennon told him about the incident.
“I have watched it 20 times and Cosgrove has won the ball cleanly,” McInnes told PlanetRadio. “If he goes in at speed and hits the player at any point then you could understand maybe the referee sending him off. When you go in at speed like that you have got to make sure you get the ball and 100 per cent it’s a brilliant tackle.
“He probably doesn’t need to go in as quick as he does but he has won the ball cleanly. And then you’ve got big Ajer winking at him and laughing at him lying on the ground. There’s nothing wrong with the boy. The boy carries on, I didn’t see anything wrong with him, he is running about.
“If Sam Cosgrove has hit Ajer going at that speed, Ajer is hurt, and the boy is clearly not hurt. It’s a brilliant tackle. I just spoke to Lenny, and I know it’s easy for a winning manager to say it, he says ‘no way it’s a red card. Lenny thinks we have been harshly treated there, I think we have been harshly treated.”
Celtic have opened up a five-point lead on their Old Firm rivals once again, with Rangers set to meet Kilmarnock on Boxing Day and Lennon”s men travelling to St Mirren.
After that, the duo will then meet in the Premiership, as Celtic will be well aware that another win against their rivals before the winter break will be absolutely massive in the race for the title.
Wins at Ibrox earlier on in the season and that narrow win in the League Cup final will provide Lennon and his players with the confidence that they can inflict more damage on Steven Gerrard’s side.
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