NEIL LENNON says that referee Alan Muir made two penalty blunders as Celtic saw off Partick Thistle at Firhill in the Scottish Cup.
Lennon was upset that Jeremie Frimpong was denied a spot-kick in the first-half under a challenge from Jags full-back James Penrice, and his frustration was compounded when Frimpong was penalised at the other end in injury-time at the end of the game for a tackle on Dario Zanatta.
“I was really disappointed with the penalty decision at the end, I didn’t think it was a pen,” Lennon said.
“I think he has got his body across Zanatta. There was inference his heels were clipped but you can clearly see he has his body across him. His recovery was terrific ,and he didn’t deserve that.
“[The first incident is] a push on the back, a definite penalty, Jeremie is at full pace and he has gone over – he has not dived – so I don’t know how that can’t be a penalty.”
Lennon was rather more pleased with the contribution of his striker Leigh Griffiths, who got the first goal on the night, and dismissed the notion that he may go out of the club on loan during January.
“Leigh is a great player, he is a great goalscorer,” he said. “He has had fitness issues and other issues but he had a good week in Dubai and looked sharp in training this week.
“I know what I have got with him. There is more to come from him obviously, but we don’t score many goals like that, and he does.
“[There will be] no loans. Not at the minute anyway.
“He looked a lot brighter tonight, he was playing things round the corner, running off the shoulder. “He got his goal and his set-piece deliveries were excellent so he can be pretty pleased with his performance.”
Thistle manager Ian McCall was pleased enough with his side’s showing despite the defeat, and in particular, he was buoyed by what debutants Zak Rudden and Darian MacKinnon brought to his team.
“There’s an honesty about them I love, they remind me of the boys I had at Ayr United,” McCall said.
“Darian hasn't played for a while and although he’s fit, he's not match fit. And Zak, our fans are absolutely going to love him.
“In Scotland if you work exceptionally hard, fans tend to love you - and I was very pleased for both, they’ll be big players for us.”
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