Liam Scales had little room for dissatisfaction following the handball he committed that gifted Ross County a critical penalty. Esteemed former Celtic players Chris Sutton and Aiden McGeady shared the consensus that the Hoops defender was rightfully penalized after his arm obstructed a cross from Michee Efete upon a VAR review. Although striker Ronan Hale’s initial penalty was saved by Kasper Schmeichel, prompting jubilant celebrations among the away supporters at Dingwall, it was revealed in television replays that Schmeichel was significantly off his line during the spotkick and that Hale made no mistake on the retake to give the Staggies the lead just moments before the break. This decision undoubtedly came as a harsh blow to the visiting team, who had been in control of possession but found it challenging to fashion clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Sutton and McGeady opined that Scales could have averted the handball incident by keeping his arm in a more natural position, with Sutton remarking during the live coverage, “His arm is extended away from his body. That’s a clear penalty. There really isn’t much ground for dispute from Celtic and Liam Scales. I can’t fathom why he felt the need to position his arm in that manner. It simply isn’t a natural posture to assume in that situation.”
In concurrence with Sutton, McGeady commented in the studio, “Certainly, there is no plausible objection to that call. I don’t believe he protested himself. Undoubtedly, it was a penalty kick all the way.” Their analysis underscored the consensus that Scales, in hindsight, ought to have acted with greater care to evade the penalty situation, leaving little room for excuse.
