Dermot Gallagher delivers Rangers penalty verdict as he insists John Beaton left with little choice

Former top referee Dermot Gallagher insists it would have been “hard not to give a penalty” after John Beaton was invited to take a look at Peter Haring’s shirt pull on Connor Goldson on the monitor in Rangers’ dramatic last-gasp win over Hearts at Ibrox.

The Austrian was penalised in the dying minutes of the match in Glasgow with Beaton’s attention drawn to the incident by Alan Muir in the VAR HQ at Clydesdale House as the clock ticked down and with the Jambos leading through Lawrence Shankland’s early goal. After watching the incident, Beaton pointed to the spot for a second time in the game after awarding an earlier spot kick for Toby Sibbick’s foul on Todd Cantwell.

James Tavernier hit the post on the first occasion but made no mistake second time around before Danilo scored a late header to seal all three points. Hearts boss Steven Naismith was furious, claiming there had been an earlier foul missed before Haring’s tug of the shirt but Gallagher, speaking on Sky Sports Ref Watch, said of the VAR intervention: “Sees a pull of the shirt, holds on to it. Alerts the referee, the referee goes and looks and gives a penalty. Hard not to give a penalty when you see that.”

However, Naismith’s claim wasn’t discussed with the Gorgie gaffer saying there was an infringement before the shirt pull. He said after the game: "The penalty they get, the initial contact is made by a player blocking our player which VAR should go and look at. I spoke to the referee after and he said that he wasn't shown any images where there was a block so I don't know whether there's a miscommunication or what the process is but ultimately it's failed us today.

"It's a clear block on our player. It's as simple as that. As the ball comes into the box