Hibernian boss David Gray was adamant about the big calls that went against Celtic at Celtic Park on Sunday. The game swung on two moments. Auston Trusty was sent off after a coming together with Jamie McGrath, and soon after Liam Scales was pulled down in the box with no penalty given. From a Celtic point of view, both incidents are still hard to accept.
Trusty’s red came after referee Matthew MacDermid was sent to the monitor by VAR. Yet when Scales had his shirt tugged inside the area, VAR official Grant Irvine did not send the referee over for another look. That contrast is what sticks in the throat.
Gray had no doubts, saying: “I think the red, you can’t do that. You can’t lift your hands with that aggression. That’s violent conduct and a clear and obvious red. Jamie has an issue with his shoulder and almost put his out so it shows how hard he’s hit him.
“The penalty, I’ve seen it from one angle. There was a coming together. He goes down. If it gets given on the field it probably doesn’t get overturned. It went with us on the day. They’d probably gone against us previously.”
Gray sees the red as obvious and the penalty shout as one of those that sometimes go for you. That’s exactly why it’s so frustrating for Celtic supporters. One incident is reviewed in detail and upgraded. The other, just as costly, never reaches the screen. In tight title races, margins matter. On Sunday, the margins, and the decisions, did not fall Celtic’s way.