WATCH: Martin O’Neill has now Exposed Clear Celtic Penalty that was NOT Awarded by the Referee and VAR in 3-2 win vs Motherwell

Martin O’Neill has claimed Celtic were also denied a clear penalty during their dramatic 3-2 victory over Motherwell, as debate continues to rage over the key decisions that shaped the Fir Park thriller and pushed the title race to a final-day decider.

The Celtic manager pointed to another flashpoint in a rollercoaster contest that saw Kelechi Iheanacho’s late penalty secure a vital win for the Hoops, keeping their Premiership hopes alive heading into Saturday’s showdown against Hearts at Celtic Park.

While much of the focus has centred on the controversial stoppage-time penalty awarded after Sam Nicholson was penalised for handball following a VAR review, O’Neill insists that decision was not the only big call of the night.

With Hearts having earlier strengthened their grip on the title race by beating Falkirk 3-0, Celtic knew anything less than victory would have left them needing a miracle on the final day.

Instead, Iheanacho’s 98th-minute strike from the spot completed a dramatic turnaround, but O’Neill believes his side were also denied in the first half when Daizen Maeda went down under pressure inside the box.

The Celtic boss felt that incident should have resulted in a penalty of its own, suggesting that VAR failed to intervene at a key moment.

He said: “We got a penalty which looks as if it’s pretty clear cut. Has he given it for the handball? There was an elbow on top of that too.

“The lads have a little monitor. It’s very small. I can’t really see it. I need another pair of glasses to see it. The lads thought it was a handball, an elbow as well too. I felt we had a penalty in the first half but VAR cleared that one.

“We have to win the game. Hearts don’t but at least we’ve taken it there. It’ll be a big day. It’s nice to take it into the final game which looked a long way off five or six weeks ago.”

The controversy surrounding the match has intensified scrutiny on VAR decisions in the closing stages of the season, with Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou also left furious after the late penalty call went against his side.

O’Neill, however, maintained that the full picture of the match includes incidents that went both for and against Celtic, not just the final decision that decided the result.

Despite the noise, Celtic remain just one win away from potentially sealing the title, with everything now set for a decisive final-day clash against Hearts at Celtic Park.