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Steven Naismith questions Celtic penalty as comparison made with Hearts denial

Steven Naismith has questioned Celtic's penalty against Hearts
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Steven Naismith has questioned the penalty given to Celtic against Hearts, making a comparison to the one denied at the other end.

VAR was involved in both decisions and the first one saw Lawrence Shankland's header striking Liam Scales' arm with the defender paying close attention to the Hearts number nine. Referee Colin Steven pointed to the spot but changed his mind after a review and it was later explained this was because it made contact high up on the arm and also there wasn't enough distance between the defender and attacker.

In the second half, the Hoops got a penalty of their own and it came after another VAR intervention. Nicolas Kuhn's cross had ricocheted back off James Penrice's arm but there wasn't a great deal of distance between them on that occasion either, which is the point being made by Naismith.

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He said: “I don't think our penalty is a penalty in the guidelines in terms of the distance between the players. But I also don't think theirs is a penalty. It’s down to opinion. With the images we were shown before the season, it's all down to distance. It hits his arm, but for me there's nothing he [Penrice] can do. The motion is the one that we were shown in pre-season. So I disagree with that and that's a big moment in the game.

“We probably were a wee bit better in possession in the second half. We believed a bit more and the crowd were getting frustrated. But when that goal goes in it then changes it. And then the second goal comes when we open the game up a bit and there's a bit more space.

“What the interpretation has been is that there are times the ball hits somebody's hand and there's nothing they can do. We accept that. I just feel that both of them are in the same ballpark. I don't think the distance between James and the ball is great enough that he can get his hand out the way.

“But for me there were positives: The way we defended, the attitude of the players, the discipline of the players. And we do come away actually having had a couple of good chances, especially in the second half when it was 1-0. Musa Drammeh has an opportunity that, if that goes in the dynamic of the game changes.”