Celtic were handed a controversial penalty by VAR in stoppage time, which could define the Scottish title race, but Chris Sutton has maintained that the fallout is excessive
Chris Sutton has fired back at Gary Lineker after the ex-Match of the Day host claimed Celtic’s late penalty at Motherwell came from “the worst VAR decision I’ve seen”.
The Scottish champions kept alive their hopes of retaining their crown in dramatic fashion. Liam Gordon looked to have scored a late equaliser for the hosts at Fir Park, which would’ve left Celtic trailing leaders Hearts by three points going into the final day.
The Edinburgh side also held a better goal difference, meaning the Bhoys would need a high scoring win to leapfrog them into top spot. Instead they now only trail them by just a point after Kelechi Ihenacho scored in the 98th minute to secure a 3-2 win after a contentious VAR call.
Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson was pinned for handball, despite no appeals from the Celtic players, as referee John Beaton pointed to the spot after a VAR recommendation – leading to huge debate.
READ MORE: Gary Lineker leads outrage at ‘worst VAR decision yet’ as Celtic get vital call in title fightREAD MORE: Hearts boss slams ‘DISGUSTING’ Celtic penalty decision – ‘We’re up against everybody’
Lineker claimed: “This might be the worst VAR decision I’ve seen (and there’s a lot of competition). Extraordinary given the significance” – which prompted a response from Sutton who said: “It’s what VAR is there for…”
The ex-Celtic striker also felt that the reaction to the decision was excessive, insisting there is just a desire to see Celtic toppled as champions given their recent dominance.
Sutton wrote on social media: “Now the dust has settled, the reaction from many high profile people is way over the top. John Beaton was advised to go to the monitor and saw that the ball hit the arm in an unnatural position Bottom line is people would hate to see Celtic win the title again and that is all.”
Hearts are aiming to break an Old Firm stranglehold that has stood since 1985 but their manager Derek McInnes knows his side face a huge task when they head to Celtic at the weekend. He was also left fuming by the awarding of the late penalty.
He said: “It’s disgusting. We’re up against it, we’re up against everybody. I don’t think it’s a penalty. It’s so poor and it looks as though [Celtic] have been given it. They have been very fortunate.”
Hearts, who have been top for much of the season and already beaten Celtic on their own patch, are eyeing a first league triumph since 1960.
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