Handball or no handball? It’s the million-dollar question doing the rounds in Scottish football.
It’s not like the Premiership needed any more drama, because everything has been manic as it is this season, as Celtic fans know too well.
But on Wednesday night, Celtic’s win over Motherwell didn’t just make headline news in Scotland, but across the footballing world.
Andy Halliday is part of the Motherwell team, but is currently injured ahead of his retirement this summer, and he vlogged the game for Open Goal inside Fir Park.
He explained that ‘the boys weren’t happy’ with the last-gasp penalty call from John Beaton.
“Obviously, the boys aren’t happy because they feel like Sam (Nicholson) has gone to jump,” shared Halliday.
“Trusty has jumped from underneath him and lifted his hand towards the ball. Sam is saying that ‘he doesn’t think it has hit his hand. It has hit his head.'”
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Andy Halliday’s reaction to ‘mental’ Celtic win over Motherwell
This win for Martin O’Neill’s side now means that the Premiership title race in Scotland will go down to the final day of the season at Parkhead.
If Celtic beat Hearts, then they are champions once again.
Even though Halliday was at the game, because he couldn’t get access to any replays as the drama was unfolding, he couldn’t give his opinion on the handball incident.
The Well’s midfielder was alongside Celtic-mad Paul Slane, and the duo agreed that a ‘mental’ game of football had just taken place.
But while Halliday couldn’t provide his own thoughts, he did explain the feeling inside the home dressing room, and the reaction of the man punished for handball, Sam Nicholson.
Halliday: “It was a brilliant game. Obviously, a lot of controversy at the end.”
Paul Slane: “Have you seen it back?”
Halliday: “We haven’t seen it back. I am not going to give my opinion until I do. I am only going to tell you what is basically been said.
“So, I think they are saying, ‘it’s a handball.’ Obviously, the boys aren’t happy because they feel like Sam has gone to jump. Trusty has jumped from underneath him and lifted his hand towards the ball. Sam is saying that ‘he doesn’t think it has hit his hand. It has hit his head.’
“But as I said, we haven’t seen it back, so we can’t give our opinion. It was just mental. Celtic to go and beat Hearts 2-0, I think, is more than achievable. At 3-0, we are saying, ‘Hearts will probably win the league today.'”
Slane: “I thought if it stayed the same, then Hearts would have gone on to win it. That goal has just completely changed it. What a game of football.”
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