Brendan Rodgers takes cheeky dig at Rangers after Celtic loss as he throws title assumption out the window

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers took aim at VAR after a 2-0 defeat to Hearts in the Premiership - with a Rangers dig added for good measure.

The Hoops boss watched on as a chaotic first half involved several refereeing incidents. First up was an Alex Cochrane tangle with Yang, which Don Robertson pointed to the spot for.

That was missed by Adam Idah but a few moments later, a high boot by Yang on Cochrane when challenging for the ball was deemed a booking by Robertson. VAR beckoned him over for another look and he sent the winger off, but the controversy wasn't done there.

A ball into the Hoops box came down in a heap of bodies, with VAR official John Beaton identifying it had come off Tomoki Iwata. Robertson was over to the monitor and pointed to the spot for Jorge Grant to convert, and Shankland would then have lines drawn by those in Clydesdale House for offside after he got the better of Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart. He was off, marginally.

It didn't matter as the Scotland international struck after the interval and a calmer second half had Hearts waltz over the line. Rangers lost to Motherwell on Saturday but they maintain a two-point gap after Celtic failed to capitalise on their big chance.

Rodgers said: "My feeling the game was decided by the official on the field and outside the field. That today felt like really poor officiating. The sending off, there is no force. Don got it right on the field. It was a high boot with no malice, no force.

"For John Beaton to look at that with VAR, under no pressure and say that is a sending off, I find it incredible. The second one is worse. To have a penalty go against you for that, there will be penalties every weekend and midweek. I don't know what he is supposed to do. Those two decisions left us with an uphill task in the game."

Rodgers also had a Rangers assumption to bust post-match after their loss at Motherwell, as he refused to write the title race off. He added: "You probably never said before Rangers played Motherwell yesterday that they would lose. Everything I hear, they were going to win every game through to the end of the season.

"But we know it's about us and it's very much in our hands. We have 12 games to go. We will fight for every competition we will be in. It was unfortunate the way the game panned out."