Celtic Snatch 3-2 Motherwell Win on 99th-Minute VAR Penalty as Scottish Title Race Goes to Final Day
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 13
Celtic Snatch 3-2 Motherwell Win on 99th-Minute VAR Penalty as Scottish Title Race Goes to Final Day
10 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 13
Kelechi Iheanacho converted a 99th-minute penalty to give Celtic a 3-2 win at Motherwell, keeping the Scottish Premiership title race alive until Saturday's finale.
VAR Andrew Dallas sent referee John Beaton to the monitor after Sam Nicholson challenged for a high ball, but replays appeared to show contact with Nicholson's head rather than his raised hand.
Hearts had already beaten Falkirk 3-0 and would have been able to lose by two goals to Celtic and still take the title if Celtic had dropped points.
Instead, Hearts now must avoid defeat at Celtic Park to become the first club outside Celtic or Rangers to win Scotland's top flight in 40 years.
Hearts boss Derek McInnes called the decision "disgusting," while Motherwell's Jen Berthel Askou said he was "in total shock"; Celtic manager Martin O'Neill said the incident was handball.
Will a 20-second VAR call, slammed as the 'worst ever,' unfairly decide a historic Scottish title race this Saturday?
Has the controversial Celtic penalty exposed a systemic bias in Scottish refereeing that threatens the league's integrity?
Is VAR's promise of fairness a failure when it must interpret football's hopelessly ambiguous handball rule?