Neil Lennon believes the fresh image emerging from Celtic’s dramatic win over Motherwell has made the late penalty decision look far clearer than it first appeared on television.
Kelechi Iheanacho converted the penalty to give Celtic a huge 3-2 win and leave the Premiership title race firmly alive heading into Saturday’s showdown with Hearts at Celtic Park.
At the time, many people watching live struggled to work out exactly what the decision had been given for.
The television angles shown during the match led to confusion. Some believed the foul was for handball. Others thought VAR may have been looking at an elbow on Auston Trusty during the aerial challenge inside the box.
Since then, clearer images and behind-the-goal footage have started circulating online showing the ball appearing to strike Sam Nicholson’s raised hand before spinning away.
That footage has changed the debate for plenty of people who were unconvinced immediately after the game.
Lennon was discussing the controversy on Thursday morning and admitted the newer images look far more decisive than the original broadcast angles.
The former Celtic manager also pointed out how quickly John Beaton reached his conclusion once sent to the monitor.
He said: (BBC Radio Five Live), “It was inconclusive last night, really, when you see the clips from TV.
“But there’s a photograph doing the rounds this morning that looks pretty conclusive that it was a handball.
“He didn’t take long to make the decision. He was there for about 20 seconds.
“I’m not a lover of VAR. I’m not a lover of the handball rule.”
That final point probably reflects the wider feeling across football at the moment.
Even people who believe the correct decision was reached still seem frustrated by the way handball incidents are interpreted from week to week. The arguments rarely end because supporters are often debating the rule itself rather than the referee’s application of it.
From Celtic’s side, though, the newer footage has helped calm some of the noise around the decision.
What has not changed is the importance of the result itself.
Celtic now head into the final day knowing a win over Hearts at Celtic Park will secure the league title after one of the wildest nights of the season at Fir Park.
Who cares about the #anyonebutceltic noise, they are the same halfwits that praised the Trusty red card at Tynecastle……
HH
Pre-match, did the manager not impress upon his players, DO NOT give the referee a decision to make. Basic football coaching. Not a single word about this in the hun media but of course that wouldn’t suit their anti-celtic agenda.
Not only was it a handball, but it was an elbow to Trusty’s head as well.
I said right away it was a penalty, but was not sure if it was for the hand ball or for the elbow to Trusty’s head. VAR appeared very sure and called Beaton over, who came away very decisively to award the penalty. Credit to him and VAR. Seeing the incident replays on TV, it was a double whammy, clearly BOTH a hand ball and an elbow to the back of the head.
Too many people in this little country of ours have clouded vision due to their own particular bias. I was not brought up like that. The penalty decision was correct. Faulty reasoning should not support disappointment.