I watched Motherwell vs Hearts from the press box: Three things I spotted as VAR controversy engulfs Fir Park

Hearts drew 1-1 with Motherwell in the dramatic Premiership title race’s latest twist.

Lawrence Shankland missed a big chance to put the Jambos ahead early as Stephen O’Donnell stopped a goal-bound effort on the line. Stephen Kingsley’s own goal threatened to make that costly but Shankland responded at the other end with an instinctive close range finish after sustained maroon pressure. Boss Derek McInnes was not helped by season-ending injuries to defender Craig Halkett and Marc Leonard before controversy struck.

Alexandros Kyziridis was brough down in the box by Motherwell attacker Tawanda Maswanhise with VAR offering Steven McClean a look as play raged on for a short while afterwards. He decided it was not sufficient enough contact for a spot kick as McInnes hit out at the call post-match. It means ahead of second-placed Celtic taking on Rangers, Hearts are four points clear in first, with two games to go versus Falkirk and at Parkhead. Here are our talking points from Fir Park.

Injury woe

Tomas Magnusson, Oisin McEntee, Ageu, Calem Nieuwenhof, Finlay Pollock and Cammy Devlin were amongst Hearts’ midfield walking wounded heading into this. It was no surprise to see Leonard and Beni Baningime fielded with in-form Blair Spittal as the number 10, as while they merit starts on performances, there isn’t much else in terms of options. That’s why it was such a blow to see Birmingham City loanee Leonard carried off by club physios after a blow to the Achilles area. It’s probably a hint on where Devlin’s fitness is that it was winger Alexandros Kyziridis who came on for Leonard with right-back Jordi Altena moved inside.

They say winning titles is about the collective but this is pushing that kind of thinking to the limit. Not even utility options like Harry Milne were fit to play here. McInnes’ go-to formation is a 4-4-2 but he has literally two fit midfielders in Spittal and Baningime, the former of which is more a playmaker. Altena had a difficult first half task in his natural role up against Longelo and it didn’t take him long to get booked as he flew into several challenges. Leonard is brilliant at dictating play and could be seen during the first half telling those around him to remain calm.

Then a hammer blow. An innocuous slip and suddenly Halkett - who’s fought back from serious injury to become a vital player in this title bid - needing a stretcher to get off the pitch through his own Achilles issue. It is the cruellest of luck for a star who’s been on the wrong end of plenty injury blows in his maroon career. If it’s to be glory for Hearts in the next week, it’s going to need to be players on the fringes stepping up and playing massive roles.

Penalty debate

McClean is firmly in the spotlight after a night of controversy at Fir Park. There were already first half pleas from Hearts after Motherwell left-back Emmanuel Longelo looked to have had the ball hit him high up his arm as he cleared danger. Then came the big decision as the game was stopped during play to allow McClean to have a look. Most people in the stadium at that point were left thinking Shankland was getting the chance to make it a double on the night but shock was sparked after no award was given. Pundits on the airwaves and small screen post-match almost unanimously agreed it was worthy of being given while the player himself was certain it should have been awarded. It’s a decision Hearts will hope they are not left to rue.

The predicament

For a fifth game in succession, Hearts have gone a goal down. That speaks to their unshakeable resilience that in those games, they have managed to claim 11 points out of 15, as the sounds of bottles crashing and bubbles bursting are replaced by loud chants of hope from fans in maroon. Motherwell have lost twice at Fir Park this season - both to Falkirk - so in isolation it isn’t a terrible point for Hearts. It might prove to be a big one depending on how the next few days play out but that’s the big if. Should Celtic lose or draw against Rangers, it’s a good result. Defeat for the Hoops and it’s vital, however, Celtic victory in a tight race unfortunately means dropped points. Take what Celtic do aside, if you’d asked any club outside Glasgow in August if they’d like to go into the final week with title-winning fate in their own hands, they’d likely not have believed you. Victory against Falkirk and avoiding defeat at Parkhead will be enough to do the job for Hearts. Weeks like the one ahead don’t come much bigger.