Ally McCoist has insisted Benjamin Nygren’s Celtic winner against Aberdeen was offside, despite VAR footage indicating he was onside in the build-up to the decisive goal at Pittodrie.
The Hoops emerged 2-1 victors in the north east, a result that mattered far more than the display on a night where Martin O’Neill’s side simply needed to secure the points.The pivotal moment came when Nygren found the back of the net. Early broadcast images caused brief confusion before the VAR freeze frame appeared, with the calibrated lines confirming the Sweden international was behind the final Aberdeen defender.
That should have settled the argument. It did not for McCoist.
Speaking on TalkSport, the former Rangers forward argued the goal should have been disallowed and aimed a dig at VAR official Chris Graham while referencing referee Nick Walsh’s assistant in Stockley Park:
“Has anything changed after Celtic’s half-yard offside goal winner? You need to get a look at it.“Here’s one for the younger ones, was Marty Feldman on VAR? Here’s one for the younger ones, look up Marty Feldman. Whoever was on VAR needs to get their eyeballs checked.”
The remark came despite the images shown during the broadcast leaving little room for doubt. The lines drawn by VAR confirmed Nygren was onside when the pass was played.
It has not prevented the familiar debate in sections of the media whenever a major Celtic decision comes into focus.
For O’Neill and his squad, the priority was much simpler.
It was a challenging away match in the middle of a congested schedule and three points were the only thing that mattered. Celtic collected them.
The champions have been battling through a demanding run of fixtures and there was little time to dwell on the performance once the final whistle sounded.
Focus now shifts to Sunday.
Celtic head back to Ibrox for the second time in a week, this time in the Scottish Cup with a spot in the semi-finals at stake.
There will also be a different atmosphere inside the stadium.
Around 7,500 Celtic supporters will be present at Ibrox, the first time since 2018 that the club has been handed the traditional away allocation.
Scottish Cup rules have guaranteed the larger ticket share returns, meaning a packed away end and a proper travelling support backing the Hoops in a tie that carries real significance.