CELTIC goalkeeper Joe Hart was shown a straight red card against Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
With almost half an hour played and with his side 1-0 up courtesy of a Reo Hatate penalty, the Hoops No1 came rushing out of his box to challenge Mohammed Sangare who latched onto a long ball from the Livi defence.
But the midfielder got there first and the English shot stopper came clashing into him.
As the challenge took place outside the box and denied a goal scoring opportunity, with Hart the last line of defence, referee John Beaton was forced to give the keeper his marching orders.
Surprise inclusion in Brendan Rodgers’ side James Forrest made way for sub goalie Scott Bain who took the gloves for the remainder of the match, leaving the Scottish Premiership champions to play with ten men for over an hour of the match.
It’s the first dismissal of Hart’s 20-year career.
It’s also the latest disappointment for him, whose ability as No1 has been questioned by Celtic fans.
The red card follows questions over his performance against Feyernoord on Tuesday night where he was too easily beaten by a free kick from distance, despite also saving a penalty.
Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm saw red in that match, making it an unfortunate hattrick of ordering offs for the Celts in the space of five days.
Addressing criticism of his performances of late, Hart said in midweek: “I’ve got respect for the football world. But there are very few people out there whose opinions really matter.
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“After speaking to Stevie Woods and Brendan Rodgers, I know what I’ve got to offer. I offer everything I’ve got.
“If it’s not good enough for someone, that’s life, so be it.
“It hasn’t been good enough before, but it often has.
“I know from my past as a goalkeeper I’m by no means perfect.
“If people want to angle in on something specific, they can.
“But I’ve been around a long time and if you want to make an argument about why I should be in goal, there’s plenty of those too.”
The dismissal in West Lothian means the 36-year-old will miss next week’s clash with Motherwell at Fir Park.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
