Ange Postecoglu was hoping that we would not be talking too much about VAR upon its much anticipated introduction to the mental word of Scottish football. Unfortunately, he didn't get his wish as the highest profile game of the weekend led to several talking points.
The game in itself was a classic. With Hearts recent form and the dismantling of them every time they have faced half decent European opposition, I was guilty of thinking that this would be a walkover. It was anything but. They utilised the narrow pitch and toxic atmosphere to play a pressing game which we haven't faced domestically since Rangers played us at Hampden last season. Cammy Devlin did a good job of disrupting our play and they actually managed to carve open a few opportunities via the creativity of Mckay and Snodgrass.
Despite not being at our best it was Celtic who struck the first blow. Hatate, who put in another caviar performance, showed great patience and vision to release Ralston. His ball into the box deflected kindly to James Forrest who simply nodded home his 101st goal for the club. It was almost a carbon copy of the opening goal against St Johnstone when Hatate slipped Haskabanovic through, and it is a position our full backs seem to regularly find themselves in under Ange's system.
You could be forgiven for thinking Celtic would steamroller on from that point. Hearts did however manage to get back into it through a (for me) clear cut penalty. The awarding of the penalty seemed to take an absolute age. The pundits allowed for teething problems, however this is a professional competition, and the league have rushed VAR in ahead of schedule before the world cup. Hence, they must have thought it was in shape and ready to go. I'm not really sure what teething problems can be used to blame the amount of time it took to confirm to Nick Walsh that he needed to 1. take another look at the incident and 2. not simply just confirm to him that the incident was a penalty.
If you thought that was bad, the next incident sent reverberations around the world of masonic lodge conspiracy theories. James Forrest cut in from the left and tried to play a ball through in the box, Michael Smith then moved his hand towards the ball to stop it in its tracks. To the amazement of everyone watching, not least Michael Smith, the penalty was waved away and barely even checked. I'm not sure I buy into the theory that all Scottish Referees are part of an inner plot to thwart Celtic at every opportunity. I just think they are...for want of a better word...shite. The standard of refereeing in Scotland is genuinely not ready for the technology.
The second half begun with an absolute hammer blow for Celtic with Shankland stealing a march on CCV to tap home from close range. We know we run the risk of conceding goals in this expansive system but I felt a real sense of pessimism with the way the game had gone up until that point. Deep down, I think most had an underlying belief that we could get right back into it though. After missing an absolute sitter, Aaron Mooy laid a corner on a plate for Giakoumakis, and then shortly after his rebounded shot was bundled in by Daizen Maeda.
That wasn't the end of the drama however. Another clear penalty was awarded for Hearts with little hesitation this time. The penalty was then ordered to be retaken after it was spotted that Ginnely, who had bundled in the rebound of the penalty, had encroached the box before the spot kick had been taken. The retake was calmly slotted away. On this occasion, the VAR chiefs got it right.
This had all taken place in an enthralling first 65 minutes. Celtic hadn't been at their best by any stretch of the imagination however still managed to snatch a winner late on. Hatate whacked out his slippers again to find Mooy who in turn slipped in Abada. His deflected shot squirmed its way to Taylor who toe poked in the vital victory goal. It was no accident that Taylor had found himself in that position. I am excited to see how Bernabei develops and I believe he has a higher ceiling than Taylor, but the latter has performed way above what anyone could have predicted of him. At present, Taylor is the better option.
I'm not holding my breath, but hopefully the initial 'teething problems' with VAR can be ironed out soon. A good starting point would be a credible explanation for why Celtic's stonewall penalty was not given in the first half. Now that the money has been paid for high spec technology, there needs to be accountability for these bizarre decisions.
With Rangers dropping points later in the afternoon, I think this weekend could really be seen as one of the biggest markers in the title race this season. Whilst we could grind out a result from the jaws of defeat, they could only manage a draw against ten man Livi. It's time to really press on now and not let them have an inch. This is when the pressure could really be ramped up on Giovani Van Bronckhorst.
