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.
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9. Pat Bonner (Sportsound)
"The defender jumps with his left arm up and his fist is right on his head as the ball lands." | Local Library
10. Jamie O'Hara (talkSPORT)
"That is a huge moment, unbelievable. I think it's a penalty. It looked like he handballed it or elbowed him in the face." | Getty Images
11. Ryan Stevenson (BBC)
"It's a disgrace. VAR took six minutes in the recent West Ham v Arsenal game because everyone understood how big a decision it was. John Beaton was at the monitor for what, 20 seconds?" | SNS Group
12. Tom English (Sportsound)
"People are enraged by the penalty. To me, it looks like it comes off his head. I need to see it more, but the substantial contact comes off his head. Unimaginable drama. It's a huge call, a massive call to make given the context of the season." | Getty Images