Alistair Johnston breaks Rangers penalty silence but all may not be as it seems amid Celtic 'simulation' storm
Celtic defender Alistair Johnston has reacted for the first time since he was punished for a foul on Fabio Silva during the draw with Rangers.
The Hoops were leading 2-0 when the Portuguese star went down in the box following a challenge from the Canadian international. While referee John Beaton initially booked the Rangers star for simulation, the man in the middle would be sent to the monitor to review the incident by the VAR team before pointing to the spot - leading to James Tavernier scoring and giving Philippe Clement's men a lifeline in the game.
The clash erupted into a 3-3 thriller - but Johnston appears unhappy over the decision to award the penalty as he took to social media. Posting to Instagram, he shared a snap of the full-time scoreline. He also shared two emojis - one of the which represents a 'zipped mouth' while the other represents a 'thinking face.' And while it could be interpreted as Johnston voicing his anger - he is still keeping his cards close to his chest over the row.
Following the full-time whistle, Brendan Rodgers accused Silva of "simulation". He said: "I thought it was a good decision on the pitch and when you watch it back on the replays, it's really good recovery defending by Ali Johnston. He's going one way and you can see he gets a nick on the ball and plays it away.
"Obviously the player then has gone down and is obviously looking to simulate the penalty. So I thought. that gave them a little lift in the game, us having been the better team."
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