Motherwell vs Celtic row breaks out as seven pundits agree on 'embarrassing' VAR decision

A VAR row has broken out in Scottish football after a contentious last-gasp decision kept Celtic's Premiership title hopes alive. Martin O'Neill's side looked like needing to beat leaders Hearts, who saw off Falkirk 3-0 in their penultimate match, by three goals in Saturday's title showdown, as they were being held 2-2 at Motherwell. However, deep into added time, VAR Andrew Dallas called referee John Beaton to the pitchside monitor after Motherwell's Sam Nicholson challenged for a high ball. Replays appeared to show the ball hitting Nicholson's head, rather than his raised hand, but Beaton awarded a penalty, which Kelechi Iheanacho converted to snatch a 3-2 win. Now, instead of needing to beat the Jambos by three goals, a win of any margin will be enough to win Celtic a 56th domestic league title. The decision has caused outcry, with Hearts boss Derek McInnes calling it "disgusting." McInnes has high-profile support from various pundits. Gary Lineker wrote on X: "This might be the worst VAR decision I've seen (and there’s a lot of competition). Extraordinary given the significance." JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page talkSPORT presenter Jeff Stelling called it "embarrassing," saying: "He heads it. Seriously that is never a handball at Fir Park. The boy headed it 20 yards. The ref takes one look after VAR calls him over. Embarrassing for Scottish football." Ex-Hearts player Stephen Elliott claimed the incident amounted to cheating. He raged: "That is cheating pure and simple. That cannot be a penalty. For the love of God. Game is gone!" In the Sky Sports studio, pundits John Robertson, Paul Hartley and Kris Boyd all agreed it was the wrong decision. Robertson, Hearts' all-time leading scorer, said: "I don't know if it has actually hit his hand. Look at the power he's got on it. That looks like a header. "I'm not looking at it through maroon-tinted spectacles, his hand is up and if it's hit his hand, then of course it's a penalty. But look at the power he gets on that. That's a head! "He's not given it on the pitch and it has to be a clear and obvious error. That is not a clear and obvious." Rangers legend Boyd said: "There will be serious questions asked about it and rightly so. His hand's high but if that hits his hand, that is dropping two or three yards in front of him. "To go at the pace it has, there's no way it does. In the 97th minute of five minutes added on... Another dubious call has gone in Celtic's favour. If you throw a ball at someone and it hits your hand, it drops a few yards in front of you." Even Celtic legend Paul Lambert felt it was the wrong decision and called for VAR to be scrapped in Scottish football. He told talkSPORT: "The ball goes 50 yards up the pitch. You can't do that with your hand. That's why we should get rid of VAR in Scottish football because it's a watered-down version compared to the Premier League ." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.