John Hartson was unreserved in his criticism of Alexandro Bernabei for his part in letting David Watson of Kilmarnock score an equaliser in the closing seconds of the match on Saturday.
Greg Taylor, who was playing his first game back after returning from injury, was replaced by the Argentine.
Hartson calls Bernabei’s effort a “disgrace” and thinks the player might have cost Celtic the league. Rangers’ victory on Sunday moved them to the top of the table despite the dropped points.
“Bernabei is a disgrace, he doesn’t even challenge Watson for the goal,” Hartson stated on Go Radio.
“As a left-back in that situation, you are exerting every effort to prevent a goal at the last second. That might cost Celtic the championship! It needs to matter more because it doesn’t mean enough.
As a defender, you have to stop a goal with your life.
It must irritate and upset you. Brendan seems to be speaking very calmly; perhaps he shot them in the changing room. However, the equaliser ought never to have been given up.
“Kilmarnock will argue that although the goal was good, it shouldn’t have happened; you have to learn to finish games.”
Bernabei believed he had been fouled for the goal, but he had been pushed too easily and had simply picked up the incorrect positioning.
There were still a good few minutes remaining, but the crowd did not think Celtic would score a winner, and it appears that the players shared that opinion. The possible consequences did not make moving the ball up the pitch urgent.
