Ross County manager Don Cowie took issue with the award of the free-kick which led to Celtic’s late winner against his side.
The Staggies were on course for a memorable triumph against the Hoops following Ronan Hale’s first-half penalty, until Celtic equalised through Alistair Johnston on 76 minutes.
A point would still have been a favourable outcome for the Dingwall side, however Nicolas Kuhn’s winner secured the points for the Hoops two minutes from time.
In the build-up to Kuhn’s breakaway strike, Staggies substitute Jordan White was penalised for a foul on Luke McCowan – which Cowie felt should not have been awarded.
Given the valiant efforts of his side against the Premiership champions, Cowie was disappointed that proved to be the difference between the sides.
Cowie said: “It was disappointing for the players with the effort they have put in again.
“They kept a top-quality side relatively quiet in terms of real goalscoring opportunities.
“We said beforehand it was about being compact, with good concentration levels, which I saw in abundance in the group.
“The equaliser was a bit fortunate, it was a bit of a ricochet.
“For me, they score a goal from a free-kick which was never a foul in the middle of the pitch.
“Jordan put his foot out but made no contact with Luke McCowan. He then lost the ball and they got a free-kick.
“At that stage, we were a little bit out of shape, and a good team punishes you which is what happened.
“With my eye at the time I didn’t think it was a free kick, and I’ve seen it again and it’s not.
“We can still react and prevent the goal, but it’s disappointing that the decision goes against us.
“I asked the referee about it and got no response. He’s got his opinion, and I’ve got mine.”
Hoops boss Rodgers singles Hale out for praise
Celtic manager Rodgers was full of praise for County forward Hale, who took his tally to seven goals in 11 appearances in all competitions since his summer move from Cliftonville.
Hale found the net from the spot at the second attempt, after his initial penalty was saved by Kasper Schmeichel, who was subsequently deemed to be off his line.
Belfast-born Hale, who has been capped by Republic of Ireland at under-21 level, is in the process of obtaining clearance to allow him to represent Northern Ireland.
Rodgers is pleased with the impact fellow countryman Hale has made, and hopes national team manager Michael O’Neill can benefit from his availability in the future.
He added: “I was just more surprised that Ronan scored against Celtic.
“But he’s made a great start to his life in Scotland. He’s scored four goals now in eight league games. He’s been a really good reference for the team.
“It’s great for him. He has obviously done great back home at Cliftonville. He’s come over at a good age with good experience. And he’s shown it here, like we’ve seen with his goal against Hearts, which was a brilliant finish.
“He shows he can score goals. And games like this will help him in his career. But I’m delighted for him and Michael that he can call him up.
“If you’ve got a finisher at an international level like him, then hopefully he can do really well.
“Don’s had a really, really good start this season to his career and managing. And thankfully we produced a really good second half to get the result.”
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