Wright furious at Thomson’s decision to award penalty
would have been disappointed it that wasn’t given [to his team]. Brown didn’t get anything on the ball and Danny’s knee goes inward so there’s contact, it’s a penalty.
“Joe Shaughnessy, the ball is in flight, he [Thomson] blows his whistle, he [Shaughnessy] is dragged to the ground, he [Thomson] warns the Celtic player [Boyata]. That’s a penalty as well. You don’t go and warn players.”
Wright added: “So there have been three teams out there today. I thought Celtic were excellent, I thought we were excellent – but the other team [Thomson] was poor and they let my players down today.
“I’m not going to see him because I wouldn’t want to waste my time. You can probably see that I’m angry so I would probably end up in hot water. I did shout out to him on the pitch and he gestured that his [Watson’s] hands were up, almost as if he had caught the ball which didn’t happen.”
Watson revealed that Thomson had told him that it was a “stonewall penalty”. He said: “Those were his words to me. He said my hands were up. That was what he said to me. I’m not going to slate him because I’ll get in trouble. But it was the wrong decision.”
Brendan Rodgers, whose Celtic team extended their record-breaking unbeaten domestic run to 29 games and stretched their lead at the top of the Premiership to 27 points with the win, admitted he could understand his opposite number’s reaction. However, he disagreed with his compatriot over the Swanson incident.
“If I was Tommy I would be disappointed,” he said. “There are lots of decisions up here which I have seen in my time, which has been a short time, that have been funny ones. As a manager, I am delighted that I got it, but for Tommy you would be bitterly disappointed.
“I never thought so at the time and I watched in the studio again and didn’t think it was a penalty. He [Brown] protected the ball quite well, but I don’t think there was enough contact.”
Dembele, meanwhile, showed that he hadn’t been unsettled by the latest bout of stories about him leaving Celtic. He netted the penalty with his first touch and added another two for his first hat trick since the 5-1 win over Rangers in September.
The stunning 24-minute treble is certain to generate even more interest in him. However, Dembele remains focused on the job at hand.
“I feel good about the performance, especially the team aspect,” he said. “We showed we are strong together and we won the game, so we’re happy.
“It has been the last six months [that there has been speculation] and I don’t really listen to what has been said about me. I just try to get fit as quickly as possible and get back on the pitch. I don’t really listen to what has been said in the media. I don’t really follow it. I just try to do my best on the pitch.
“I focus only on enjoying my football at Celtic and I’m very happy to be here. It is flattering and it motivates me to keep doing well. I’m happy to be here and I hope to be here as long as I can.”
Dembele was baffled by the flurry of reports on social media last Tuesday claiming that he was on the brink of moving to Chelsea and posted a lighthearted response on Twitter.
“I was surprised obviously because I received a lot of texts, but I just went there for a scan on my knee,” he said.