Hibs’ meeting with Celtic was shaped by a series of VAR flashpoints as David Gray’s side were once again hit by red card trouble during a 2-1 defeat on Sunday.
The Easter Road outfit saw their hopes of securing fourth place, the final automatic European qualification spot, left in serious doubt after Jamie McGrath’s early dismissal paved the way for a third straight loss following recent fixtures against Aberdeen and Hearts.
Daizen Maeda put Celtic ahead, but Joe Newell hauled Hibs back into it right on half-time, although not without controversy amid strong handball appeals.
Kelechi Iheanacho then emerged from the bench to grab the winner for Celtic, leaving Hibs to travel to Falkirk next week just two points clear of the team in sixth.
They now sit six points behind Motherwell with an inferior goal difference and only nine points still available, although fifth place could yet offer a route into Europe if Celtic lift the Scottish Cup. VAR dominated the post-match discussion, and here are the three moments that brought the technology under the spotlight.
Jamie McGrath red card:
McGrath was initially shown a yellow card by referee David Dickinson before Don Robertson, overseeing VAR duties, advised an on-field review. The call was labelled ‘wild’ during commentary by former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, while Gray admitted he had little defence for his player’s actions. Grant Hanley had already been sent off against Aberdeen before the split, followed by dismissals for Raphael Sallinger and Felix Passlack in the Edinburgh derby.
Gray said: “It’s like déjà vu in terms of going down to 10 men again. I thought Celtic started fast, as you would expect, but when you go down to 10 men, after everything I spoke about before the game about giving us the best possible chance to win, it makes it extremely difficult. I can’t defend the red card. It’s not the character and there’s no intent there but it’s a red card because of where the contact is. You want to be in it for the last 10 minutes to have a go, and we did that today. We had a real go at the end and had a big chance. When you get those chances you need to take them.”
Joe Newell goal:
If the first VAR intervention was widely accepted as correct, the second fell firmly into a grey area. Newell’s equaliser arrived on the stroke of half-time after an extended VAR check for a possible handball as he fired into the net, with claims suggesting the ball had brushed his arm, but the officials chose to stick with the original decision.
Guidance from the SFA to Sky Sports stated there was ‘insufficient evidence of a handball to overturn the on-field decision.’ Any contact with the arm in the immediate build-up to a goal would normally see it ruled out, making it a major call for the officials, with opinions divided across the board.
Pundits on television and radio remained unsure about the incident, while former referee Keith Hackett felt it was a goal that could have been disallowed.
He told Football Insider: “I have often made comments about the interpretation of the handball law. This is an incident where frankly, I would be ruling the goal out because of the deliberate action to control the ball with the use of the arm. Clearly, it is a subjective decision that created the requirement for a long review from the VAR team.”
Possible Celtic penalty after Josh Campbell challenge vs Benjamin Nygren:
Finally, the VAR team drew the ire of 2006/07 League Cup-winning Hibs manager and former midfielder John Collins. Hibs’ Josh Campbell attempted to shield the ball out of play as Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren closed him down.
Nygren went to ground under Campbell’s challenge inside the area, sparking strong reactions, particularly in the Easter Road press box, where former Hibs and Celtic man Collins was furious that no penalty was awarded.
He said on Sportsound: “If that goes to VAR, it’ll be a penalty, without a shadow of a doubt. Surely the VAR is going to come in here? The referee hasn’t seen it, obviously! That’s as blatant a penalty as you will ever see. I’ve just watched that on the screen. If the VAR have not given that as a penalty, then every single one of them involved should be sacked. It’s an absolute shambles.”