Former SFA referees Des Roache and Steve Conroy have claimed that Celtic should have been awarded a penalty during their 4-0 victory over Motherwell on Boxing Day.

While Brendan Rodgers’ side eventually cruised to a comfortable win, an incident involving Daizen Maeda in the first half has sparked debate.

At 0-0, Maeda was played through on goal and had his initial shot saved by Motherwell goalkeeper Aston Oxborough. As the ball hung in the air, Maeda fearlessly attempted to challenge for the rebound but received a high boot to the face as the keeper and defender scrambled to clear the danger.

In the same move, Paulo Bernardo was penalised for a high boot, despite his effort being at knee height. The decision left many questioning why the earlier foul on Maeda was not punished.

Roache and Conroy, speaking via their social media account, argued that Celtic were denied a penalty.

We feel this is a penalty https://t.co/7ewRVg1LyF

— The Ref’s View (@TheRefsView) December 26, 2024

Brendan Rodgers expressed satisfaction with his side’s second-half performance but hinted that the scoreline could have been even more convincing:

“Could’ve been more. We had other opportunities to make it even more convincing… The players kept going, and we could’ve had more.”

Some have suggested that the soft penalty awarded to Celtic in first-half injury time—when Hyunjun Yang was clipped by Oxborough—offset the earlier missed decision. However, both incidents should have been called correctly, as one does not excuse the other.