Hearts were left furious after seeing a penalty decision overturned at Celtic Park, denying them the chance to take the lead. The incident occurred late in the first half as Hearts began to grow into the game, getting more balls into the Celtic box.
The controversy arose from a set-piece when Lawrence Shankland headed the ball, which was blocked by the arm of Celtic defender Liam Scales.
Referee Colin Steven immediately pointed to the spot, awarding Hearts a penalty. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned, much to the frustration of Hearts players and manager Steven Naismith, who surrounded the referee in protest. Their remonstrations were in vain, as the penalty was no longer given.
There was initial confusion over why the decision had been changed. BBC Scotland’s radio commentary team speculated that the ball might have touched Shankland’s arm before hitting Scales.
However, replays showed that this was not the case, and the actual reasoning behind the reversal was clarified at half-time by commentator Liam McLeod.
McLeod explained: “The referee initially thought the defender’s arm was outstretched and the ball had travelled far enough to deem it a handball.
“Once it was reviewed, it was deemed the arm was in a normal position, it didn’t travel far enough, and it hits the arm too high to be a handball. So that is why Colin Steven’s initial decision to give Hearts a penalty was overturned.”
Pundit Michael Stewart agreed with the final decision. When asked if the correct outcome had been reached, he said:
“Yeah. Obviously, hearing Liam’s explanation there is good to hear because it rings true with what we saw and what we thought, so it’s good to see referees are recognising that. I think it was the correct call.”