Celtic have been slipping for the past several weeks now. The latest setback for Brendan Rodgers' side was a 2-0 defeat at home against Hearts. The result meant that they lost the mathematical advantage over the Rangers they had in the points table. Based on their performance, the Hoops did not deserve anything from the weekend's game but even then, they were not helped by the refereeing.
One questionable decision came when Celtic were already a goal down. Referee Kevin Clancy awarded a free-kick against Cameron Carter-Vickers for a challenge on Nat Atkinson.
Stephen Kingsley curled the free-kick past Joe Hart to make it 2-0 in favour of Hearts. And there was no coming back for Celtic after that.
Carter-Vickers did not agree with the decision to award the free-kick in question though. As reported by the Daily Record, the Celtic defender said:
"I didn’t think it was a free-kick.
“I planted my foot on the floor and he (Atkinson) was already slipping. He kind of skipped into my leg which was planted and the referee gave a free-kick."
Celtic player publicly disagrees with referee's decision
It should not be used as an excuse but the refereeing in Scotland has always been a topic of discussion. When was the last time the Rangers conceded a penalty kick? Even in the Scottish League Cup final, there were a couple of decision in favour of the Ibrox club which raised eyebrows of both Aberdeen fans and the neutrals.
The bigger problem for Celtic right now is getting their season back on track. The Hoops have never gotten out of second gear since the arrival of Rodgers to replace Ange Postecoglou and at the moment, they appear to be in reverse.
Over the past five games, Celtic have dropped 8 points. Nowhere near good enough. Hopefully, the squad will be sufficiently strengthened in the January transfer window. Unfortunately, the players being linked with the club will not fill the fans with confidence. If rumours are accurate then it looks like they are still looking to make 'project' signings rather than bringing in proven quality.