Sam Nicholson’s role in Celtic’s dramatic late winner against Motherwell is still being discussed a day after the final whistle at Fir Park.
Kelechi Iheanacho’s stoppage-time penalty kept the title race alive and completely changed the mood heading into Saturday’s showdown with Hearts at Celtic Park.
But from Motherwell’s side, frustration has not disappeared.
The penalty was awarded after referee John Beaton was sent to the monitor by VAR following an incident involving Sam Nicholson and Auston Trusty inside the box. Replays appeared to show the ball striking Nicholson’s raised arm while Trusty also went down under contact.
Motherwell players surrounded the referee immediately after the decision. Their bench reacted the same way. Even after the match, there was clear anger from inside the home dressing room.
Manager Jens Berthel Askou called it one of the worst decisions he had seen in football.
Now midfielder Andy Halliday has shared what Nicholson himself was saying after the game.
Halliday admitted emotions were still high inside the dressing room but also revealed the Motherwell winger did not even believe the ball hit his hand at all.
He said: (Open Goal), “Obviously, the boys are not happy because they feel like Sam’s went to jump, Trusty’s jumped from underneath him and lifted his hand towards the ball.
“But Sam says he doesn’t even think it hits his hand, it hits his head. But as I said, we’ve not seen it back so we can’t give our opinion.”
That last line probably says plenty about how difficult the incident looked in real time.
During the live broadcast, confusion existed almost immediately over exactly what VAR was checking. Some thought it was contact on Trusty. Others focused on Nicholson’s arm position.
Since then, clearer images from behind the goal have emerged online and circulated heavily across social media.
Those images appear to support the handball decision far more strongly than the original television angles shown during the match itself.
Neil Lennon admitted the footage looked inconclusive initially before saying later stills appeared “pretty conclusive” in Celtic’s favour.
The SFA are also expected to stand by the decision internally according to reports on Thursday.
That has not stopped criticism arriving from elsewhere across Scottish football.
Derek McInnes, Kris Boyd and now several Motherwell voices have all questioned the award publicly.
None of that changes what comes next for Celtic.
The penalty stood. Iheanacho scored it. And now the league title will be decided at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon.
Definite penalty. 2 offences committed. Hand ball and elbow in the face. Nicholson unable to stop it but the law is the law. Celtic have been hit with much worse decisions than this in the past. Arseholes like McInnes, Boyd, even that prick Keith Jackson are fuming because there beloved Glasgow 14 ers are only finishing 3rd.
Let’s rub salt into their wounds and take the title on Saturday.
He ‘thinks’ it didn’t hit his hand – just who is he trying to kid … he’d know one way or the other so it’s obvious that it did as all the photos, seen since, clearly show. The fact that he went ground and lay feigning injury was also a sure sign that he knew he’d messed up.
As for the desperate claim that Trusty ‘pushed’ his arm up – that’s even more laughable, given that he jumped first and struck Trusty on the side of the head with his elbow which most people, initially thought the VAR was checking for a foul.
It would make a refreshing change if some of these players showed a bit more honesty after games instead of fuelling the controversy – though it has to be said that whilst one can understand Morherwell’s disappointment and even Hearts’ worried reaction, it seems that, pathetically, fans of Sevco are making more of a fuss about the incident than fans of either of those teams. I doubt anyone would be surprised by that, however, since Sevco’s been left with nothing this season, finishing in third place after spending £40m and being gubbed by their biggest rivals, so their fans are desperately clinging on to the coattails of any team playing againt Celtic.