(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Sun 10 May 2026 9:15, UK

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Hearts should have been awarded a crucial penalty in their 1-1 draw with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday night.

That is according to ex-FIFA referee and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that referee Steven McLean was wrong not to punish a “careless” challenge from Tawanda Maswanhise inside the box.

The striker appeared to trip Hearts winger Alexandros Kyziridis following a short corner in the 65th minute, as he went to ground after getting to the ball first inside the box.

VAR official Greg Aitken called McLean over to the pitchside monitor after a brief review, but the man in the middle still upheld his initial decision that the challenge wasn’t enough to warrant a penalty.

That decision came much to the frustration of Hearts manager Derek McInnes, who lambasted the referee in his post-match interview.

Keith Hackett adamant Steven McLean got it badly wrong

McLean’s decision came at a crucial stage of the game, with Hearts trying to push towards an all-important winning goal in the latter stages of the second half.

The Jambos knew that victory would have piled the pressure on title rivals Celtic ahead of their clash with Rangers on Sunday, but they were left frustrated as their appeals were waved away.

Kyziridis and Co. were ultimately forced to settle for a draw at Fir Park at the end of the 90 minutes, but Hackett felt that they should have been given the chance to take the lead from the spot.

“Maswanhise is not making an attempt to play the ball and catches his opponent; it was a careless challenge, and the VAR was correct to bring the referee to the monitor,” the former official exclusively told Football Insider.

“McLean then makes the wrong call by not awarding a penalty to Hearts. The law states that if an offence involves contact, then it is penalised with a foul.

“The challenge was careless, as Maswanhise showed a lack of attention when challenging for the ball. It should have resulted in a penalty.

“This was a huge decision that could have an impact on who wins the league title.”

Michael Stewart weighs in on Hearts’ penalty shout

Hearts’ draw with Motherwell has left the door open for Celtic to cut the gap down to just one point at the top of the table, but the penalty decision has caused plenty of controversy in the aftermath of the game.

Kris Boyd made it clear during Sky Sports’ coverage of the game that he felt a spot-kick should have been awarded, and former Jambos midfielder Michael Stewart shares a similiar view.

He took to X after the game to label McLean’s decision as “wild,” while also pointing out the fears from pundits and supporters that refereeing decisions could sway the title race.

McLean’s call undoubtedly has the potential to do that in the coming weeks, as it denied Hearts the chance to put vital breathing room between themselves and Celtic.