Derek McInnes has accused Celtic star Kris Ajer of laughing and winking at Aberdeen ace Sam Cosgrove after the striker's red card at Parkhead.
The Dons top scorer was sent off by referee Euan Anderson after a crunching tackle on the Norwegian during their 2-1 defeat in Glasgow yesterday.
It was a vital moment in the game that Celtic won thanks to goals from Chrisopher Jullien and Odsonne Edouard.
Cosgrove had levelled the match at 1-1 before being given his marching orders.
But raging McInnes insists there was nothing wrong with the Norwegian defender and his player should have stayed on the pitch.
He said: “The ref had a good game but it's a poor decision.
"I've watched Sam's 50 times and he's won the ball cleanly.
“If he goes in at speed and hits the player, you can understand the sending off.
“You have to make sure you get the ball and 100 percent, it's a brilliant tackle. He probably doesn't need to go in as quick but he gets it cleanly.
“Big Ajer was laughing and winking at him lying on the ground. There was nothing wrong with the boy, he carried on. I didn't see anything wrong with him running about.
“If Sam hits Ajer at that speed, Ajer's hurt. And he's clearly not hurt. It's a brilliant tackle.
“Did the reaction of Celtic's players influence the ref's decision? Who knows? You can make your own mind.
“But I've just spoken to Neil Lennon and the first thing he said to me was that, no way was it a red card.
“Even he thinks we've been harshly treated there.
“I'm not saying it would have changed the course of the result but it certainly gives us a better chance if Cosgrove stays on the pitch.
“VAR could have helped us but you still need the ref to make the right decision.
“He thinks Sam led with his leg and caught the player as well. But he hasn't.
“People have already put it in the same bracket as Ryan Porteous' tackle on Friday night for Hibs but it's nothing like it.”
Despite the defeat, McInnes was proud of the effort put in by his players and frustrated they didn't take a point.
He also hailed Scotland centre-back Scott McKenna who was impressive in defence for the Dons.
He said: “The last time we played Celtic we were so poor in all aspects of the game. Today we can look people in the eye because it was a competitive performance from my team.
“McKenna was outstanding. Everyone expects so much from him these days and people pick on little mistakes.
“Actually watch the boys' performance – he was absolutely immense up against a good player.
“It was a gutsy performance from us. We were fully committed and always in the game.
“We were up against a team full of confidence and they can attack you from all areas of the pitch.
“We were pleased with ourselves at half-time and at 1-1 we had a 45-minute game against Celtic.
“We thought we could get a positive result. We wanted to get into the players' mindset that we could win it, never mind take a point.
“But we got done with the second goal. It's a lovely weighted pass from Ryan Christie and touch from Edouard – sometimes that quality can do you. Edouard's a special player.”
