Celtic's Scott Brown accuses Dundee United's Nadir Ciftci

Celtic captain Scott Brown has accused Dundee United forward Nadir Ciftci of 'blatantly' kicking him in the head as the repercussions from Sunday's rousing Scottish Cup quarter-final at Tannadice continue.

The 1-1 draw on a rutted surface produced three red cards - one of which appeared to be a case of mistaken identity - and two penalties, one of which was saved.

United boss Jackie McNamara claimed Brown's hefty challenge on Ciftci in the ninth minute sparked the first moment of controversy which ended with Virgil van Dijk and Paul Paton being ordered off.

The United midfielder appeared to have been mistaken for team-mate Calum Butcher who had tangled on the ground with van Dijk and the Tayside club have confirmed their intention to appeal the dismissal.

The Celtic skipper defended himself from McNamara's claims, saying: "I think it was a great tackle. The referee is five yards away and he had no problem with it. The linesman was 10 yards away and two of them had great views and you can clearly see on television that I have won the ball.

"I was kicked in the head (by Ciftci). You can blatantly see that. We will see what happens with that. At the time I didn't know who it was. I felt a boot against my face. There was so much going on at the time, I didn't know who it was until I watched it again afterwards."

Kris Commons, watching the game from the Sky Sports matchday studio, argued that the use of video technology would have helped clear up a lot of the confusion, and Brown concurred with his team-mate.

He said: "I think yesterday would have been ideal for it. We stopped the game for four or five minutes and it was the wrong decision that Paton got sent off.

"If we had watched that back we would have clearly seen who it was. It wouldn't stop the game every two minutes, only with big decisions like that. We definitely need that."

Brown insists there is no bad blood between the clubs ahead of Sunday's League Cup final, saying: "It was both teams wanting to win and I think that is good for the Scottish game. As soon as you step onto the park it is a clean slate. The pitch at Hampden will help us. They are relaying that now so it should be in great shape."

Dundee United captain Sean Dillon told Sky Sports News HQ that he believes the match officials made a genuine mistake and is confident that Paton will be reprieved on appeal.

He said: "I still haven't had a chance to see the incident but it's a little bit strange. Mistakes are made, it's just one of those things. Hopefully it will now get sorted out.

"The referee gives himself a bit of time and chatted to the lino, and they took their time but from our point of view it's the wrong decision. It happens."