Dermot Gallagher has backed the decision to disallow Kasper Høgh’s goal against Kilmarnock, describing Mika Baur’s challenge in the build-up as a foul.

The former Premier League referee assessed the incident on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch on Monday morning, after Celtic’s narrow 1-0 victory.

Høgh thought he had finally ended his scoring drought when he finished Benjamin Nygren’s pass in the first half.

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John Beaton initially allowed the goal, having let play continue after Baur’s challenge on Greg Kiltie. However, VAR official Grant Irvine recommended a review, and Beaton needed only a brief look at the monitor before reversing his decision.

Gallagher believes the replay left the referee with a straightforward call.

“Once you go back and see that, it’s always going to be disallowed because it’s a foul. You go back, you can’t unsee it,” he said on Ref Watch. 

That was a firm endorsement of the final decision, although supporters questioning the intervention will point to Beaton having already seen the challenge and allowed play to continue.

But it’s what VAR is there for. The ref made a mistake and VAR gave him the chance to see the foul.

The Dane’s wait for a goal now stretches beyond 1,000 minutes, with his last goals coming against the same opposition when he scored a hat-trick at Rugby Park in August. Sunday extended his goalless sequence to 16 appearances.

The finish itself showed what Celtic have been waiting for. Nygren found him inside the box, and the striker converted without hesitation.

But the celebrations were cut short, leaving Liam Scales to provide the decisive goal later in the half.