Celtic appeared to be cruising after the first 30 minutes of their clash with Hibs, but the match tightened dramatically late on. In the end, it took a vital save from Kasper Schmeichel to stop Hibs from grabbing a late equaliser.
What many expected to be Martin O’Neill’s farewell fixture instead set the stage for Wednesday’s home encounter with Falkirk, as he will remain in the dugout for that match as well.
Liam Scales on the penalty decision
The Premiership has seen plenty of debated handball calls this season, and this one added to the list. Chris Sutton described the decision against Scales as “harsh,” noting on Sky Sports that the defender’s arms were in a natural position.
Scales, however, didn’t sugar-coat his reaction. Speaking after the final whistle, he admitted he fully expected the referee to take another look at the incident.
He said:
“Yeah, I’m not going to argue with it. My hand was probably up. The ball came through a crowd of players, and I just wasn’t expecting it to reach me.”
Celtic’s attacking trio of Yang Hyun-Jun, Daizen Maeda, and Reo Hatate were outstanding in the first half, but by full-time, it was Scales and Auston Trusty who delivered the decisive moments at the back.
Scales was the player penalised for the controversial handball that allowed Martin Boyle to pull a goal back for Hibs. Reflecting on the moment, he added:
“I’ll need to watch it again, but at the time, I felt the referee would go to VAR and probably give it.
“You never know which way it’ll go, but for me, I thought it would be checked and end up a penalty. So, I’ve no complaints
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