The incident

John Beaton pointed to the spot at Easter Road after Ryan Kent went down under the attention of Ryan Porteous.

The Rangers attacker stepped inside the Hibs defender as he looked to get a shot away on his right peg before he was brought down.

Kemar Roofe stepped up to slot home the penalty with five minutes left to play.

What was said? 

Hibs boss Jack Ross admits he would be claiming for the penalty, had the incident been in the opposite box. 

However, he explained that doesn't necessarily mean he thinks it was the right call for a spot kick to be awarded. 

He said: "I think there’s a spotlight that falls upon him (Porteous) in this fixture and he’s handled that really well. 

“There will be a spotlight on him again over the concession of the penalty. But he’s shown tonight why he’s such a good young centre-half.

“The time John took to give the penalty actually gave me encouragement, because you’re thinking he’s maybe not sure.  

“Ryan was adamant he pulled out and there was minimum contact. I would agree. It’s 50-50.  

“I would claim for it in the opposition box. But I think it’s 50-50 and it goes against us. To lose the game in that manner makes it doubly disappointing."

Meanwhile, van Bronckhorst said: “It was a very big win. It was a tough game as we expected before kick-off. The game showed that it was really close.

“There was a lot of physical play from both teams and not many chances. But we’ll take the win and it’s three more points for us.

“The game was decided by transition moments. In the first half, we had some good moments to score. There was a great chance for Morelos.

“In the second half, you could see when we won the ball we had the spaces to attack.

“However, we weren’t too sharp in those moments and we gave a lot of loose balls away.

“So we had those transition moments to defend as well.

“But those moments were there for both teams but luckily for us we came away with the win

The Rule

Law 12 Fouls & Misconduct

Direct and indirect free kicks and penalty kicks can only be awarded for offences committed when the ball is in play.

If an offence involves contact it is penalised by a direct free kick or penalty kick.

Careless is when a player shows a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or acts without precaution. No disciplinary sanction is needed

Reckless is when a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent and must be cautioned

Using excessive force is when a player exceeds the necessary use of force and endangers the safety of an opponent and must be sent off

A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offences;  handball offence (except for the goalkeeper within their penalty area), holds an opponent,impedes an opponent with contact.

The Verdict

As stated in the law, a penalty kick is awarded is "an offence involves contact".

There is no doubt that Porteous did catch Kent when the winger cut inside the defender. 

So, although some may deem the decision 'soft', John Beaton was right to to point to the spot on this occasion.