‘VAR Keeps Celtic Top’ – Bobby Madden Reacts to Parkhead Draw Drama

Celtic’s perfect start to the SPFL season came to an abrupt halt as they were held to a dramatic 2-2 draw by Aberdeen at Celtic Park. The Bhoys raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half, but a spirited Aberdeen comeback saw the Dons fight back to earn a point, with late VAR drama adding to the chaos.

Celtic appeared to be cruising after first-half goals put them in control, but the second half told a different story. Aberdeen managed to claw their way back into the Game, levelling the score, and nearly completed an astonishing turnaround when Duk thought he had netted a third for the visitors. However, VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for handball in what was a crucial moment for the Hoops.

The closing stages of the match were nothing short of frenetic. Celtic believed they had a penalty claim when Luke McCowan was tripped, but VAR confirmed that the foul occurred just outside the box. In the dying seconds, James Forrest’s volley was cleared off the line by Duk, with fans inside the stadium shouting for a handball. After a VAR check, referee Nick Walsh was not instructed to review the incident on the monitor, and he blew for full time immediately.

Former referee Bobby Madden chimed in on the Game’s controversial moments, oddly stating that “VAR keeps Celtic top of the league” despite agreeing with the decision to disallow Aberdeen’s potential third goal. Madden praised the officials for correctly judging the incidents. “A correct intervention to disallow Duk’s goal,” Madden wrote. “Very difficult to see on the field and why VAR was introduced. Credit to the match officials for two decisions in the 100th minute. Correctly identifying the foul as outside the penalty area as there were wild claims for a penalty. Further claims for a handball were correctly waved away for a goal-line clearance.”

The match had everything – goals, controversy, and plenty of tension. Despite both sides losing their 100% starts to the season, they distanced themselves further from Rangers, who suffered a defeat 24 hours after the 2-2 draw in Glasgow.