Aberdeen’s victory over Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership with 11 players was fortunate.
Refereeing expert Dermot Gallagher says that Jack Milne of Aberdeen should have been sent off for a reckless challenge on Beni Baningime of Hearts during stoppage time in the second half.
Both teams were looking for an elusive winner with the score tied at 1-1 when the crisis happened.
The guy in the centre, Kevin Clancy, stopped play so that the VAR could look for a possible red card and even look for a penalty from a prior play.
But his tech-enabled helpers decided not to send Clancy to the monitor for a closer examination of either occurrence, and the game went on with Milne walking away unscathed.
Gallagher stated on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch: “I believe he was [lucky not to be sent off].” This tackle isn’t nice. I believe he caught him wearing his studs over his ankle.
“For me, the ball is the clue. I’ll show you why I believe it’s a red card if you play that [clip] once more.
The fact that the player was not disciplined is what makes this tackle so intriguing and causes such a heated discussion. He thus gets away with it.
“The referee could have returned and stated, ‘not a red card,’ even though I believe it is, but he might have been yellow carded if the VAR had sent him to the screen, keeping all of his options.
“The player got nothing because of how the protocol is set up.”
Aberdeen is still awaiting word on Dimitar Mitov’s health, as their starting goalie had to be replaced by Ross Doohan at halftime during the previous game.
Additionally, there is concern about the health of Jack MacKenzie and James McGarry, which could present Thelin with a dilemma regarding defensive selection.
MacKenzie let McGarry start in the Aberdeen league for the first time since May 15 and missed the whole Tynecastle match.
However, Milne may be able to stand in at full-back when reigning champions Celtic visit Pittodrie on Wednesday night after the New Zealand international hobbled off after 59 minutes.
