Martin Boyle handed firm Celtic penalty defence by Nick Montgomery as Hibs boss bristles ‘dive’ chatter

Nick Montgomery, the Hibs manager, expressed his frustration over the decisions made by VAR in their 2-1 defeat against Celtic, emphasizing that Martin Boyle’s denied penalty was a clear foul. Montgomery dismissed any insinuations about Boyle’s reputation for diving, stating that the contact he received from behind caused him to lose balance and go down.

Regarding the first penalty awarded to Celtic, Montgomery believed it was harsh, with Nectarios Triantis’s challenge on Alistair Johnston being a fair attempt to win the header. He also mentioned that the second penalty, conceded by Joe Newell, seemed dubious and perhaps occurred outside the box.

Montgomery criticized the VAR’s intervention in both penalty decisions, particularly in the second instance where he felt that no one in the stadium, including the players, thought it warranted a penalty. He expressed disappointment in losing the match in such a manner, especially when Hibs appeared to be the more likely side to win.

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