Amid the controversy surrounding Celtic’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, one important aspect has gone unnoticed.
Alex Cochrane was the focal point of the confusing sending-off incident that resulted in Yang Hyun-jun, a winger, being sent in the 14th minute after an equally perplexing VAR intervention.
The fact that the same player had previously received red cards against the champs was not brought up. Against the Hoops last season, the former Brighton defender was deported TWICE.
Near the conclusion of Edinburgh’s 2-0 loss at Parkhead in August 2022, the defender received two yellow cards from referee Kevin Clancy.
After a nasty trip on Callum McGregor, Cochrane was hauled off the field for dragging back Josip Juranovic.
Nine months later, in May, the red mist descended upon Celtic at Tynecastle as the visitors once again prevailed 2-0 to secure a second consecutive title during Ange Postecoglou’s all-too-brief reign.
In the first half, as the Japanese ace raced into the box, the back-four operative flattened Daizen Maeda. Before Willie Collum, the VAR assistant, told his colleague to evaluate the situation, Nick Walsh flashed a yellow card.
After taking another look, the referee determined that the defender had denied Maeda a clear chance to score and gave him a straight red card.
After exchanging words with Walsh, Cochrane was observed yelling at Hoops goalie Postecoglou as he was making his way through the tunnel.
The Englishman made headlines once more over the weekend when he and Yang got into a collision after the Hoops striker attempted to flick the ball over his opponent’s head to create space for a run into the right wing.
Cochrane was the one who started the convergence, hurling his head at the ball to clear before his nearest opponent could get a run in. The Hearts player fell as if struck by an unseen wrecking ball when there was contact with Yang’s boot.
Yang was booked by Don Robertson, and things got even stranger when referee John Beaton of VAR asked him to check the event again on the trackside monitor. He came back to take out the yellow and put in a red one instead.
With not a single scrape, hair out of place, or necessity for the nearby A&E to be put on standby, Cochrane was able to get back on his feet.
Eventually, the defender was booked for two consecutive fast fouls in the second half, coming dangerously close to a red-card hat-trick against the Hoops.
With a little assistance from Beaton in front of the numerous screens miles away and dithering Robertson on the field, of course, Cochrane might have exacted his revenge against the Parkhead side.
Regarding the Hearts player’s antics, Brendan Rodgers, who was not thrilled, stated: “Obviously, he makes a meal of it.”
It’s hard to argue with the Celtic manager’s insightful judgment.
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