Motherwell vs Celtic ref watch: Three decisions John Beaton got wrong as Martin O’Neill left fuming
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The centre-back was deep into the attacking half when he piled into Callum Slattery in the 19th minute, as he arrived late into the challenge to leave the Motherwell man in a heap on the floor after he had turned the ball around the corner. MotherwellStatsCeltic48%Possession52%1.21xG1.375Shots on Target32Big Chances425Touches in Opposition Box204Corners3The final stats from Celtic’s win vs Motherwell.Beaton instantly blew for a foul against the Celtic star, and replays showed that he caught Slattery with an arm in the face as well as barreling into him after the ball had been played.
It was both late and petulant, and the fact that Scales’ flailing arm also came into play meant that he essentially could have been booked for either of the two offences. 🟢 Here's the incident that resulted in Celtic's winning penalty at Fir Park, following a VAR check!Motherwell vs Celtic & Hearts vs Falkirk reaction | Sky Sports Football now 📺 pic.twitter.com/kwFO6mOH7t— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 13, 2026 View Tweet With that in mind, the 27-year-old could count himself extremely lucky to have avoided going into the book, which would have left him walking a tightrope for the remainder of the evening. Martin O’Neill rages after Celtic penalty appealMaeda’s efforts were huge for Celtic yet again, with his strike dragging them onto level terms as they ended the first half on the front foot, and they almost got themselves ahead right on the stroke of half-time.
It was far from a stonewall penalty shout for the Bhoys, but it certainly fell into the category of incidents that have regularly been penalised this season, as Ward barelled through Maeda to get to the ball.Elliot Watt lucky to escape punishment for late kick-outWatt had a fantastic game for Motherwell in the middle of the park, but he could surely count himself lucky not to have been punished for kicking out at Anthony Ralston in stoppage time. Ralston crept towards Watt while he was on the floor to try to recover the loose ball, and the Motherwell man had a little kick out at the veteran as he moved in.