Mixu Paatelainen had no complaints about the performance of referee Euan Norris despite conceding two penalties and having a man sent off as Kilmarnock lost 3-2 to Rangers in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Mohamadou Sissoko was dismissed after conceding both penalties but, with match officials under the spotlight more than ever just now, Paatelainen accepted the three big calls made by the referee.

He said: "I've not seen the incidents on DVD yet but from the dug-out they looked like penalties. There was no hesitation there from the referee, he saw it clearly.

"I didn't have any doubts during the match, I thought they were penalties.

"For Sissoko's second one, if he pulled the player with his hands, it's a yellow card and a sending-off.

"If he didn't, I don't think it's necessarily a yellow card. A penalty is a big punishment anyway but I'd need to see it again."

Conor Sammon netted twice as Kilmarnock put up a strong challenge against their visitors and will feel aggrieved to end the match empty-handed.

He added: "I thought we had a chance, we had a decent performance apart from the three goals we conceded.

"The two penalties were totally avoidable. For their third goal, it was a very simple man-marking error inside the box. Of all the players to leave free in the box, you don't want it to be Kenny Miller.

"We made three drastic mistakes at the back and it cost us because I felt we should have taken something from this match.

"When I get home in my empty room, I'm going to scream my head off because I'm so disappointed. But I can't fault the players' efforts."