Martin O’Neill Slams ‘Contentious’ Hibernian Handball

Martin O’Neill admitted there were serious doubts over Hibernian’s equaliser after Joe Newell’s goal brought the game back to 1-1 at Easter Road.

Celtic had been in control at that stage. They were leading and playing against ten men, but a set-piece situation just before the break shifted the momentum.

The ball dropped in the box and Newell finished, but there were immediate appeals around a clear handball in the build-up. The decision was checked and allowed to stand.

That moment changed the feel of the match. Instead of going in ahead, Celtic were pulled back level and had to reset for the second half.

O’Neill was watching closely from the touchline and relying on input from the bench during the check.

He said: (TCW), “So I have the little monitor to the side, which Gavin Strachan sort of controls there, so I’m probably listening to what he’s saying as much as anything else. So, yeah, eventually, I think Gavin thought it was pretty contentious, the equalising goal, he thought that that was the case.

“Naturally, I’m pretty biased now, without even saying it, of course I agree with him, but it is what it is, whatever VAR is going to come up with, it’s going to happen.

“It worked for us in one aspect, it didn’t work the other way, and I suppose I would have probably, the truth is I probably would have a different opinion and a different answer to you had we lost the game.

“Well, I’m sure, absolutely (VAR could play a big role in the title run-in).

“I thought, way back when it was introduced for the World Cup in 2018, I thought it was a really good thing. Even now, what, six or seven years on, I really don’t know, I genuinely don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“What I think it has done is stop referees from refereeing properly, I think, in the game. But I think that was going to be a natural thing eventually in the course of time.”

The incident will add to the ongoing debate around VAR in Scotland. In this case, Celtic benefited earlier when Maeda’s goal was awarded after review, but felt aggrieved at the other end.

That balance is part of O’Neill’s point. Decisions even out across a match, but the impact of each one still carries serious weight, especially at this stage of the season.

For Celtic, the bigger issue was how the goal came about. A free-kick conceded in a wide area, followed by a failure to deal with the delivery.

That is something within their control. Even with questions around the finish, the situation could have been avoided earlier in the phase.

With three games left and the title race tight, moments like that will continue to come under scrutiny.