David Gray guided Hibs to a rare victory over Celtic at Easter Road.
Celtic fell victim to a VAR decision at Hibs that cost Brendan Rodgers at least a point, marking the Bhoys’ second defeat of the season.
Daizen Maeda’s goal was disallowed after VAR intervened, ruling that the ball had crossed the Hibs byeline before Celtic defender Alistair Johnston delivered his cross into the penalty box.
Brendan Rodgers expressed frustration over the decision, but Hibs boss David Gray offered a slightly different perspective on the incident.
David Gray ‘delighted’ as Hibs boss suggests VAR got Celtic decision correct:
Gray was understandably thrilled with the win against Celtic, and rightly so. However, at a time when pundits are unanimous in their criticism of VAR’s decision to disallow the Hoops’ goal, the Hibs manager seemed to suggest the video referee made the correct call.
Gray told Premier Sports, “I’m delighted the groundsman’s painted the line in a straight line this one and with the pitch the size it is, because it must be really close.
“Obviously, I can joke about it now and look and smile back on it, but these are the breaks you need as well.
“That’s very fine margins at this level. And then on another day, you get there a fraction earlier and the ball stays in.
“We can also defend it a lot better in that moment as well. But I think we needed that little bit of luck and you do need to carry a little bit of luck as well when you’re going against teams like Celtic so all in all, I’m delighted for everyone.”
Hopefully, Gray can provide evidence to support his claim that the ball went out of play, as even 24 hours later, most observers agree that no definitive factual call could be made.
Three other occasions VAR affected Celtic this season:
Celtic have been on the receiving end of VAR decisions since the technology was introduced to Scottish football in 2022.
This season alone, there have been three other instances (and more) where VAR has impacted Celtic, either positively or negatively, in recent weeks.
Celtic had a goal disallowed against Motherwell after Adam Idah was initially ruled offside, only for VAR to intervene and correctly award the goal.
Interestingly, VAR did not get involved in a potential red card incident against Ross County, where Alistair Johnston was accused of denying a goalscoring opportunity against The Staggies.
Finally, in a bizarre twist, VAR was rendered useless during Celtic’s win over St Mirren due to a power cut, leaving the video referee out of the equation entirely.
The point is, some decisions favor teams, while others go against them, but at least the crucial calls are typically made with definitive video evidence—something that seemed absent at Easter Road yesterday afternoon.
