Hearts Coach McInnes Slams 'Disgusting' Late VAR Penalty in Celtic Title Thriller

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes said his team is "up against everybody" after a "disgusting" 99th-minute penalty winner for Celtic forced the Scottish Premiership title race to a final-day decider on Saturday.

Hearts, the league leaders, appeared headed for a 3-0 win over Falkirk. But a late equalizer at Motherwell threatened to leave Celtic three points behind before Hearts' trip to Glasgow on Saturday.

Deep into stoppage time, VAR official Andrew Dallas directed referee John Beaton to the pitchside monitor. The review followed a challenge by Motherwell's Sam Nicholson on a high ball.

Replays indicated the ball struck Nicholson's head, not his raised hand. Beaton awarded a penalty anyway, and Kelechi Iheanacho converted it for a 3-2 Motherwell victory.

Former England striker Gary Lineker posted on X that it "might be the worst VAR decision I've seen... extraordinary given the significance." McInnes expressed fury at the call afterward.