ange-postecoglou-celtic-transfer-news-scottish-premiership-celtic-news-postecoglou-alistair-johnson-canada-world-cup-qatar-2022-john-herdmanSoccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Motherwell - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - May 14, 2022 Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou acknowledges fans outside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Celtic appear to have got away with a major decision last night as Alexandro Bernabei’s tackle went unpunished by VAR.
The Lowdown: Celtic showing no signs of slowing down
On a night when their Old Firm rivals kicked off at the same time, it was an evening where the pendulum could have swung in another direction, but Ange Postecoglou simply didn’t allow for that to even come into his thinking.
Despite going 1-0 down at home to a high-flying Hearts side, Celtic rallied back in the second half to record an emphatic and ultimately comfortable 3-1 victory.
However, it could well have been so different had referee Alan Muir or the VAR team spotted Bernabei’s lunge on Nathaniel Atkinson – which was high and above the ball – which could have changed the game had Celtic gone down to 10 men.
The Latest: Bernabei’s lucky to avoid a red card
Some Celtic fans may well have been confused that Bernabei was not even handed a yellow card looking back on the incident, and had VAR intervened, it may have been considered to be dangerous play.
While he doesn’t appear to make much contact with his lunge, VAR could well have seen it as endangering an opponent, as firm contact could have resulted in a clean leg break.
The Verdict: Postecoglou may finally be thanking VAR
There was indeed an apparent length check on this tackle from Bernanbei, but Hearts boss Robbie Neilson was left furious post-match that no red card was branded the way of the Celtic defender.
Postecoglou was very open just a few days ago about VAR, with the Australian boss claiming that it misses nothing, especially when it comes to his team. However, he may be counting his lucky stars that it did indeed miss something this time around.
While the contact doesn’t look to be too much from the Argentinian defender, the fact that Atkinson’s leg is planted and Bernabei has no chance of getting near the ball, he could’ve had no complaints if he was given his marching orders.
About the Author
