Premiership
Contentious Celtic penalty sends SPFL to the wire
Kelechi Iheanacho's 99th-minute penalty saw Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2 as the Scottish Premiership title race heads down to the wire.… Show More
Kelechi Iheanacho's 99th-minute penalty saw Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2 as the Scottish Premiership title race heads down to the wire.
Liam Gordon seemed to have snatched a draw for Motherwell when he struck in the 85th minute, but Sam Nicholson's foul handed substitute Iheanacho the chance to win it for Martin O'Neill's team.
It was a hugely contentious moment, with referee John Beaton consulting the pitchside VAR monitor.
The goal will no doubt have been cursed at Tynecastle, where leader Hearts thumped Falkirk 3-0.
Had Celtic drawn, then the Hoops would have needed to beat Hearts by three clear goals on Sunday in order to clinch the title.
Now, Celtic know a victory at home would see them claim the crown, while Hearts know a first title since 1960 will be theirs if they can avoid defeat.
Elliot Watt put Motherwell ahead in the 17th minute, but Celtic flipped the script thanks to Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren.
The visitor's bubble was burst when Gordon equalised, but Celtic received a huge lifeline when referee Beaton seemingly decided that Nicholson had elbowed Austin Trusty, or handled the ball, while challenging for a throw, and with virtually the last kick of the game, Iheanacho kept his cool.
It will no doubt have subdued the celebrations in Edinburgh, but Hearts are still in control of their own destiny.
Third-place Rangers, meanwhile, suffered a fourth straight defeat as Dane Scarlett snatched a 2-1 win for Hibernian late on at Ibrox, where Gers captain James Tavernier did not feature after leaving the stadium before kick-off, seemingly due to having been left out of the lineup for what would have been his final match on home soil.
