The Moment That Left Kasper Schmeichel Fuming

Kilmarnock midfielder Liam Donnelly has found himself under scrutiny after a heated incident involving Celtic’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel during their Scottish Premiership clash at Rugby Park. With Derek McInnes’ side trailing 2-0 in the second half, Donnelly charged in to press Schmeichel, leading to a tense moment that could have seen him sent off.

The incident unfolded when Schmeichel cleared the ball to defender Auston Trusty, with Donnelly closing in aggressively. The Irishman appeared to throw an elbow during the challenge, narrowly missing the Danish shot-stopper.

The close call led to immediate reactions, with Schmeichel clearly incensed and Trusty stepping in to confront Donnelly. Referee Nick Walsh issued a yellow card for the challenge, a decision supported by VAR official Don Robertson.

Speaking on BBC Sportscene, pundit Billy Dodds weighed in on the flashpoint, noting the potential severity of the offence: “There was [an elbow]. You can see once he has kicked it [the ball] away. If he connects, he will be off the pitch as well. Lucky. Schmeichel isn’t happy and Trusty is straight over—you can see why. The swipe of the arm—if that connects, it’s a knockout.”

Dodds’ analysis was backed up by fellow pundit Lee Miller, who pointed out that Donnelly’s actions could have been a reaction to an earlier challenge involving Celtic’s Reo Hatate. Hatate’s tackle on Donnelly moments before had itself been reviewed by VAR but resulted in no further punishment. Miller suggested this may have sparked Donnelly’s frustrated attempt to “lay down a marker.”

“He’s a goner [if that connects] and Derek McInnes would have been fuming with him having been sent off a few weeks back. It probably leads on from the challenge that has just been made on him from Hatate. He has been frustrated and wants to lay down a marker but he’s lucky to avoid a red card, he doesn’t make full connection,” Miller added.

There’s absolutely no doubt Donnelly lashed out after the ball had gone, and while there seems to be more focus on the Reo challenge, there should certainly be the same emphasis on this, if not more, because the Killie player has intentionally tried to leave one on Kasper .

Celtic ran out 2-0 winners despite facing a barrage of shots from Kilmarnock who tallied the biggest number of shots against Celtic in over a decade. This gives you an insight into the frustration Killie had on the day, Schmeichel made big saves when he needed to and gave the bhoys the platform to go and win the Game.