(Credit: Imago, Getty)

Evan Shaw

Sun 3 May 2026 15:47, UK

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Joe Newell’s goal for Hibernian in their 2-1 defeat at home to Celtic on Sunday afternoon should have been disallowed.

That is according to ex-FIFA referee and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that the midfielder made a “deliberate action” to control the ball with his arm before turning in from close range.

Newell’s effort levelled the game on the stroke of half-time, after Daizen Maeda’s goal had put the Bhoys in front just six minutes earlier.

Hibernian’s equaliser was ultimately allowed to stand after a lengthy VAR review, and it could have decided the final result, had Kelechi Iheanacho not stepped up to win it for the visitors in the second half.

Celtic’s victory at Easter Road has seen them go level with Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership, ahead of their clash with Rangers on Monday evening.

Keith Hackett bemoans ‘subjective’ handball law

Newell reacted well to turn home from close range for his goal, after Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo had palmed a corner out towards the penalty spot.

Referee David Dickinson initially awarded the goal, while VAR official Don Robertson also saw no reason to rule it out following a lengthy review, with several different camera angles.

Replays appeared to show that the ball came off a combination of Newell’s chest and his right arm when he controlled the loose ball, and any contact with an arm in the build-up to a goal is now deemed enough to see it chalked off.

Hackett made it clear that the goal shouldn’t have been allowed to stand, but he also acknowledged that while he felt the handball law was applied incorrectly, the ruling leaves decisions open to subjectivity.

“I have often made comments about the interpretation of the handball law,” the former official told Football Insider.

“This is an incident where frankly, I would be ruling the goal out because of the deliberate action to control the ball with the use of the arm.

“Clearly, it is a subjective decision that created the requirement for a long review from the VAR team.”

Celtic win shows typical Daizen Maeda performance

Iheanacho was the hero for Celtic as he came off the bench to net a late winner, but it was Maeda who was the star performer for Martin O’Neill’s men.

The striker continued his rich vein of form and made it four goals in his last three games in all competitions with his first-half strike, while his energy and willing running provided plenty of issues for the hosts.

The 28-year-old was a constant thorn in the side of the Hibs backline, and was the only Celtic player who got in behind them on a consistent basis.

However, there was still an element of frustration in his performance, as he squandered some big opportunities to put the game to bed well before his side eventually got over the line.

That has been typical of his season so far, as an often promising campaign has ultimately failed to hit the individual heights that he reached last term.