Somehow this punch to the face wasn’t a red card

What the ...

Things are always heated between Celtic and Rangers, but it went beyond anything people expected during the Old Firm derby in the Scottish Premier League. Somehow Rangers’ Ryan Kemp punched a player in the face, and didn’t get sent off for it.

Is Ryan Kent lucky to stay on after this?

All the latest action on...https://t.co/0gMSGrFshX pic.twitter.com/3jafl9l1DV

— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) March 31, 2019

Kent grew angry with Celtics’ Scott Brown late in the game before delivering a weird hybrid punch-shove to Brown’s face. Officials weren’t looking in their direction, so play went on — much to the anger of Celtics fans.

Ryan Kent is lucky the officials didn’t see that pic.twitter.com/QrjHrDxZwz

— Smig (@Smiggy) March 31, 2019

As you’d expect both sides have differing points of view when it comes to the incident. Rangers manager Steven Gerrard intimated that Brown deserved retaliation for celebrating in his players’ faces.

“You’re playing against a player who loves to antagonise,” he said at his post-match media conference. “Morelos and Kent are both provoked. Celtic fans have the right to celebrate but to do it right in your face, Halliday has the right to protect his own people.

Meanwhile Celtic manager Neil Lennon was upset with the non-call.

“I’m not happy with the treatment Scott Brown got today,” Celtic manager Neil Lennon tells BBC Sportsound. “He’s been elbowed in the face (by Alfredo Morelos) and he’s been punched or pushed in the face by Ryan Kent. Rangers should have been down to nine. It’s unacceptable.”

This is one of those incredible moments where a punch was thrown mid-game, and it didn’t result in any serious repercussion — even from referees. One of the best rivalries in sports will remain one of the wildest.

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