Shearer understands Hearts anger over Celtic penalty
Former England captain Alan Shearer says as a neutral he could not accept the decision which he felt cost Hearts in their failed Premiership title push. Hearts were beaten 3-1 by Celtic on the final day of the league season, a result which took the Parkhead side above Hearts at the top. However, in the penultimate round of league fixtures, Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2 courtesy of a controversial late penalty, given for handball against Sam Nicholson after a VAR intervention.
Had that game finished 2-2, Hearts would have only needed to avoid a three-goal defeat against Celtic. "People have not seen their club win a trophy perhaps ever, yet that title up in Scotland was decided by that decision," Shearer said on The Rest is Football podcast. "I'm not even involved in it and I don't watch a lot of Scottish football, but clearly this season I think it's been really interesting because of what Hearts have done.
"For that decision to go for Celtic as it did, I just do not accept it. I'm not a Hearts fan, so I can imagine how angry they are up there. " Podcast host and fellow former England striker Gary Lineker was similarly unimpressed.
"It actually got me quite cross watching that because I just thought that whole season was decided…" said Lineker. "It was extraordinary. He quite clearly headed it.
If that had hit his hand, there's no way it would have travelled the 20-odd yards that it did. "We've got no skin in the game, obviously, there, but you just look at it and think, that was wrong. I mean, that was so wrong.