LIVINGSTON new boy David Carson has expressed his surprise that Rangers’ opening goal at Ibrox on Saturday was not disallowed following a VAR check because he believed he had been fouled by Connor Goldson in the build-up.

The struggling West Lothian club managed to prevent their hosts from scoring for the first 40 minutes of the cinch Premiership match in Govan at the weekend.

But Fabio Silva broke the deadlock after Goldson had knocked a Borna Barisic corner down to him and Philippe Clement’s team went on to beat David Martindale’s side 3-0.

Livingston players protested to referee John Beaton after the Silva strike because they were convinced that midfielder Carson had been taken out of play by the Rangers centre half just before it. 

However, the goal was allowed to stand after VAR official Matthew MacDermid had viewed replays over at Clydesdale House.

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English midfielder Carson, who moved to the Tony Macaroni Arena from Inverness Caledonian Thistle during the January transfer window, was baffled by the call.

“It was the wrong decision in my opinion,” he said. “I think it’s a foul.

“I’ve taken a knock. I’ve got stud marks down my body, on my thigh and I’ve got a dead leg. I’ve clearly gone to attack the ball, got my head on it and I’ve been taken out after that. 

“He’s got a high foot. If anything, he just misses my head. Look, I made contact with the ball, then me made contact with me. It’s a foul in my opinion. I am surprised VAR didn’t disallow it. But I can’t make the decision. They’ve made it. 

Glasgow Times: “I spoke to the referee. He can’t tell me anything on it. He’s just said they’ve made the decision and that’s what it is. I’ve looked at it back and I can’t see why it’s not a foul.” 

Carson added: “We knew it was going to be tough. I actually thought we did fairly well in the first half. We limited them to a few chances. The first goal is a sucker punch. That takes the stuffing out of us. It’s always a mountain to climb from then on. 

“Up until then I thought we limited them. We’ve then got to come out and try to get back in the game so we opened up a little but more. It’s then a hard one. 

“Look, I can’t comment too much more on it. They’ve made the decision. As I’ve said, in my opinion, I don’t think it’s the right one, but we’ve got to take it on the chin.”

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Livingston, who play Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in the league on Wednesday night, remain six points adrift of Ross County at the bottom of the Premiership table, but Carson stressed that he and his team mates are still upbeat about their chances of staying up.

“Everyone is in it together,” he said. “We know what’s required to get us out of this situation. In terms of the spirit around the place, everything is really positive. We’ve just got to put the Rangers game to bed quickly and look towards Wednesday. It’s a massive game for us. We want to go there and take three points. 

“It’s hard for me to put my finger on how we get back to winning ways as I’ve just come in the door, but getting the first goal in a game is obviously going to boost the boys’ confidence. If we can do that then we can it from there. We’ll do all our work this week on the pitch and look forward to Wednesday. It’s going to change at some point.” 

Carson continued: “We’ve got to go into every game and look to pick up points. That’ll the aim. That’s the task that’s set for us between now and the end of the season. We’ve got to take one game at a time.

“It’s a hard situation for the club, the players and the fans. Everyone has got to stick together. The fans are going to be a massive part of this. Especially in the home games, we want them to come out in big numbers and support us as best they can. 

“We’re obviously in this situation so the more support we have from them, it’s going to gee the boys up more. I hope they stick with us, come out in numbers and are our 12th man.” 

Glasgow Times: