Arne Engels’ Worrying Admission Highlights Severity of High-Boot Incident

Arne Engels found himself at the centre of controversy at Easter Road after scoring Celtic’s opener, taking a boot to the face from Jamie McGrath in an incident that somehow avoided any punishment and left many questioning how the Hibs midfielder stayed on the pitch.

Celtic left Leith with all three points, but the win came with a moment that has already sparked fresh debate around VAR and the consistency of decisions across the league.

Engels’ first-half header put Celtic in control, yet the Belgian was floored immediately after scoring when McGrath’s raised boot caught him squarely in the face inside the Hibs box.

The contact was clear, the danger obvious, and the reaction inside the ground instant. Nick Walsh kept his cards in his pocket, deciding the collision did not merit further action. VAR also declined to intervene, a choice that stunned Celtic supporters and even drew boos from the home crowd, albeit for very different reasons.

In a season where marginal handballs are examined frame by frame, it felt remarkable that a boot that high, in a crowded penalty area, attracted neither an on-field review nor a replay-driven check.

McGrath escaped entirely unpunished while Engels received treatment on the pitch before continuing. The incident overshadowed what should have been simple celebration for the midfielder, who had put his team in a commanding position.

Despite the blow, Engels kept his composure both during the match and afterwards, speaking about the team’s resilience rather than the controversy itself. His comments highlighted Celtic’s focus and togetherness as they completed a gruelling run of away fixtures.

He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “To be honest, I didn’t really see it going in so I didn’t know it was a goal until Cal told me.

“So I was happy although I was still a bit worried for my nose actually because it was a sore one, but in the end, I’m really happy to get a goal and for the team to get a win here.

“I think we were really good today. It’s a really tough place to come and we dealt with it really well so I’m really proud of the boys today.

“We scored two really good goals from pressing and from a cross, so we can be really happy with our performance here and now we just need to keep on going and win every game that comes now.

“There’s a really good atmosphere that we have and before this week came up we told ourselves that it would be really tough, so it’s really nice to get three victories away from home because it’s never easy, and I’m really proud of the boys that we came through this week really well.”

The lack of intervention on the challenge will continue to fuel discussion. Matching the height, force and risk involved with the criteria for serious foul play, many felt McGrath was fortunate to remain on the pitch.

Celtic may have taken the points, but the decision, or lack of one, became a talking point that spread quickly across both sets of supporters. Walsh was booed by the Hibs crowd, who believed the goal might be disallowed, yet that reaction masked a deeper reality: neither side got the correct outcome.

From a Celtic perspective, the absence of even an on-field review was astonishing.

VAR has stepped into matches for far less dangerous moments this season, and this appeared exactly the sort of incident it was designed to assess. Engels’ bravery in continuing and contributing to a vital win only emphasised how serious the contact could have been.

Celtic’s focus will now shift to the next challenge against Dundee at Celtic Park, but the debate around the McGrath incident won’t disappear quickly.

As the title race tightens and every decision counts, moments like this only increase pressure on officials to provide clarity and consistency. For now, though, Celtic depart Easter Road with three points, and Engels with a bruised reminder of the physical intensity of this fixture.