Senior Referee has come out to admit his initial decision was WRONG as he brought OUT Unseen EVIDENCE to confirm to the public that Motherwell were clearly ROBBED by the VAR – John Beaton in Trouble

Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has insisted Celtic should not have been given the controversial late penalty that sealed their 3-2 win over Motherwell on Wednesday night.

The dramatic moment came deep into stoppage time at Fir Park, in a match already packed with twists, momentum swings and tension as both sides battled in a crucial Scottish Premiership encounter.

Celtic had earlier looked in control at stages of the game, but Motherwell refused to back down, fighting their way into a position where they believed they had done enough to secure at least a point on home soil.

With the score finely balanced heading into the closing stages, the game appeared to be heading towards a dramatic but fair conclusion, with both sets of supporters braced for a tense finish.

However, the decisive moment arrived in the 97th minute when referee John Beaton was alerted to a potential handball inside the box following a long throw into the Motherwell area.

After a VAR review, Sam Nicholson was adjudged to have handled the ball while attempting to deal with the aerial delivery, a decision that immediately sparked furious reactions from the home side and disbelief inside Fir Park.

Kelechi Iheanacho then stepped up under immense pressure and calmly converted the resulting penalty to secure a massive 3-2 victory for Celtic, a result that keeps them firmly in the Premiership title race, just one point behind leaders Hearts going into the final round of fixtures.

The decision has since divided opinion across Scottish football, with managers, fans and pundits all weighing in on whether the spot-kick should have been awarded in such a decisive moment.

Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has now added his voice to the debate after reviewing the incident, and he believes the call was incorrect.

“I have taken another look at the penalty kick awarded to Celtic in the 97th minute,” he told Football Insider.

“My first observation was that it was awarded for handball. This judgment was based on the unnatural position of the defender’s arm.

“However, when you look at this incident on the big screen, there is no conclusive evidence that the ball has come into contact with the defender when he is clearing it with his head.

“We then look at the position of the defender’s arm, and for me, football is a contact sport and there is a natural coming together.

“I do not see a push that impacts the Celtic player. So in review, I believe that this decision is incorrect.”