Celtic fans had plenty to celebrate this afternoon after the Hoops secured a 2-0 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Celtic Park, with one moment from Luke McCowan leading to social media tributes. While the result was impressive, it was the VAR decisions from Kevin Clancy that had fans buzzing, particularly that no goals were wrongly ruled out, as happened in the previous game against Hibernian at Easter Road.
A Crucial Moment for VAR
In the 91st minute, Luke McCowan played a well-weighted cut-back to Adam Idah, who calmly slotted the ball home to seal the win for Celtic. The key moment, however, was that the ball was kept in play by McCowan, and there was no question of a controversial out-of-play decision. The VAR officials, led by Kevin Clancy this afternoon, made sure to avoid any missteps, giving the Hoops fans one less thing to worry about as the Hoops booked their spot in the semi-finals.
Comparisons to Maeda’s Disallowed Goal
The victory was sweetened by the fact that officials had learned from previous VAR incidents. One such incident, of course, was Daizen Maeda’s wrongly disallowed equaliser against Hibernian at Easter Road two weeks ago. That moment had been the subject of intense debate, with the KMI panel later ruling by a margin of 4-1 that Maeda’s goal should have stood. Alan Muir, the VAR official on that occasion, ruled that the ball had gone out of play, but the decision was made without any definitive evidence or clear angles to support it.
FORTUNATELY no Alan Muir this weekend…
Onto victory once more… pic.twitter.com/CBONhs0Lpe
— ᴘʙ 🍀 (@p_bov1) March 9, 2025
Celtic Fans’ Humour on Social Media
As expected, Celtic supporters have been quick to hilariously poke fun on social media at the absence of Alan Muir from today’s VAR team. With Clancy in charge, there was no risk of a similar controversy, and fans have been poking fun at Muir on social media for what was a costly mistake at Easter Road that will not be forgotten in a hurry by the Hoops faithful.
A Great Victory for Celtic
The win over Hibernian was important for Celtic as they continue their push for a domestic treble this season. With the Hoops looking strong in both remaining domestic competitions, fans will be hoping for more drama-free victories in the future, with VAR playing its part in making sure the right decisions are made.
As the Hoops head into the Scottish Cup semi-finals, one thing is certain: Celtic fans are hoping for more success – and fewer VAR controversies – as the season reaches the business end.
