The footballing world has been left talking over a huge Celtic penalty that directly impacts Hearts’ chances of winning the title.
A 3-0 victory for the Jambos over Falkirk would have been enough to clinch Premiership glory for the first time since 1960 if second-placed Celtic lost at Motherwell. They were drawing 2-2 at over the allotted amount of second half stoppage time when VAR official Andrew Dallas called referee John Beaton to the monitor for a look at a Sam Nicholson challenge on Auston Trusty.
It was deemed handball but several pundits and fans have been left aghast as Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up to win the game for Celtic. It now means instead of needing to avoid defeat by a three-goal margin, Hearts now have to avoid defeat entirely, changing the dynamics of Saturday’s title shootout at Parkhead between the pair. Here’s how 17 pundits reacted to the controversial incident.
The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly
1. John Robertson (Sky)
"His hand is up, but look at the power he gets on it - that's a head." | SNS Group
2. Tam McManus (X)
"I don’t want Hearts to win the league. I think that’s pretty clear but even i have sympathy for them tonight. Genuinely that last minute pen for Celtic is poor and if I'm a Hearts fan, player or coach (or Motherwell for that matter) I’m fuming at that. You have to be 100% sure with that big a call." | Local Library
3. Don Hutchison (X)
"Wow the VAR pen in the Celtic game is again. One of the worst decisions of all time. You don’t get that much power with your hand. It hits his forehead. Again the ref did NOT give it on field. So according to law. It’s not clear and obvious." | SNS Group 0141 221 3602
4. Jason Cundy (talkSPORT)
"That's not a pen. Where's the pen? That is an absolute disgrace. That is shocking." | (Image: Twitter)