Reo Hatate red card case against Dundee United dismissed as pundit pinpoints glaring Celtic issue - Hoops news bulletin

A former top referee has dismissed claims that Celtic star Reo Hatate should have seen red against Dundee United on Sunday.

The midfielder’s challenge on United’s Luca Stephenson went unpunished by on-field referee David Dickinson but it did go to a VAR check. Hatate mis-controlled a pass by Anthony Ralston and went over the top of the ball in his bid to retrieve it and caught the Liverpool loanee. Gavin Duncan reviewed the incident in Clydesdale House with a pause in play but decided not to send Dickinson to the monitor with Dundee United fans on social media claiming Hatate should have been sent off alongside an image of the tackle

However, former referee Des Roache of The Ref’s View podcast, told Record Sport: “Looking at the still it looks a bad one that should have been looked at but when you watch it you can see it doesn’t meet the criteria of force, intent or brutality to give a red card, although it was certainly worthy of a yellow.”

Meanwhile, Michael Stewart reckons the lack of width in Celtic's play at Tannadice was 'obvious and telling' with Luis Palma.

The Sportscene pundit reckons it was apparent that the Honduras international is low on confidence as it was evident in his play. He pointed out that not only the winger but his fellow team-mates, they didn't get into those byline positions often enough as Brendan Rodgers' men dropped two points in a stalemate in the Sunday early kick-off.

He said: "You are talking about lack of width. I think it was quite obvious and telling that he's had Luis Palma on the park and it felt to me that Ryan Strain had his number a little bit.

"You can tell Luis Palma is low on confidence as well but the moments when it does go wide you need your wide man to drop his