Derek McInnes’ melt down and his ‘disgusting’ comments tell us that Celtic have already broken Hearts psychologically before a ball is kicked on Saturday
Celtic broke Derek McInnes and Hearts psychologically with last night's injury time penalty at Fir Park.
Eric Knott 
MOTHERWELL, SCOTLAND - MAY 13: Celtic's Auston Trusty celebrates with fans after Kelechi Iheanacho scores a penalty to make it 3-2 during a William Hill Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park, on May 13, 2026, in Motherwell, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
There are moments in football that you will never forget in your lifetime, and as a Celtic fan, I’ve seen many.
Too many to list them all on here right now.
But of all the moments I’ve seen in my four plus decades as a Celtic fan, none has impacted me as mentally and emotionally as last night’s.
Before I go any further, I need to state something.
We did not deserve to win that game.
I will not try to sugar coat our performance in any way, shape, or form.
We were outplayed for long periods of that contest by one of the best footballing sides the Scottish Premiership has seen in a long time.
Jens Berthel Askou deserves huge credit for what he has created at Fir Park in such a short space of time.
Not only that, it is fantastic for the Scottish game.
Last night showcased that to everyone watching.
Celtic were second best, second to everything, outfought and outclassed.
But Celtic didn’t lose that game last night, Motherwell did, – and this morning – and heading into Saturday, for those of a Celtic persuasion, that is all that matters.
When we headed into injury time at 2-2, I was mentally exhausted.
I was willing to accept that we had given it our all, and maybe to degree, I was relieved because mentally and emotionally, I couldn’t take much more if it.
I started thinking towards Saturday, and questioning whether or not we could beat Hearts by 3 goals or more?
Then I thought to myself, Jesus, if this is hard, what will Saturday be like?
Then that voice that has lurked in the back of my head this entire season just quietly said to me, “Celtic will win this game.”
I refused to believe it.
Just like I refused to believe it when we were 1-0 down to Dundee in the Scottish Cup in the 92nd minute.
The same way I refused to believe it when Celtic were being held to a 2-2 draw by Kilmarnock and up stepped Julian Araujo.
In the final minute of injury time, when Auston Trusty hit the deck in the Motherwell box, I still refused to believe.
Simply because I didn’t see a handball, and I didn’t think Andrew Dallas in the VAR room was going to award a penalty for the elbow on Trusty.
If he hadn’t awarded one earlier for the incident between Callum Ward and Daizen Maeda, he wasn’t going to award one now.
Then footage of the handball emerged.
And the more it was looked at, the more it appeared that it was a handball.
Dallas had no choice but to send Beaton to the monitor.
Once he went to the monitor, Beaton knew he had no choice but to award Celtic a penalty.
Yet still, I refused to believe.
We couldn’t, could we?
Throughout the season, there have been constant questions over Kelechi Iheanacho’s fitness levels.
After last night, there can be no questioning his mental fitness.
I don’t know if that was the most pressure he had ever taken a penalty under, but the way he made it look so easy defied belief.
The ball nestled in the bottom left corner of Callum Ward’s goal.
Cue bedlam.
At Fir Park, and inside every CSC throughout the world, including ours in the West of Ireland.
It’s hard to describe how I felt in that moment.
I know I became light headed and on the verge of keeling over.
My heart was beating out through my chest.
My wife commented on the fact it still was when I got into the bed beside her later on last night.
Nothing plays on your mental and emotional state more than Celtic does.
And when I say that, only Celtic fans will understand what I mean.
This season has been a rollercoaster.
Last night, Sky commentator Gary Weaver said it was an iconic moment.
He couldn’t have framed it any better.
What was even more iconic was when Sky moved over to Tynecastle and showed the absolute dejection on the faces of the Hearts players.
Derek McInnes said the penalty award was “disgusting”.
To a degree, I can understand his reaction.
In the 95th minute at Fir Park, they had one hand on the Scottish Premiership trophy.
By the 98th, they were psychologically broken.
Things change so quickly in football.
Last night epitomised that more than anything else.
Celtic now has the psychological edge going into Saturday’s huge finale.
Hearts will not know what hit them….
Key Takeaways
- Celtic faced a tough match but ultimately won due to a controversial last-minute penalty decision.
- Kelechi Iheanacho showed mental strength by scoring the penalty, showcasing his fitness under pressure.
- The victory over Motherwell had significant emotional impact on fans, highlighting the rollercoaster season.
- Celtic’s win changed the psychological landscape heading into the next match against Hearts.
- Fans experienced a mix of disbelief and eventual joy, underscoring the intense connection between supporters and the team.
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Aodhán Ó Conchobhair 
What about the video of mc innes singing a sectarian song , or the game where the ragers got 3 penalties, or the fact the referee is a rangers fan as most of them are, or the fact it was a penalty
Give them credit Beaton and Dallas did not bottle out of the penalty, as for that rat McInnes let him go and cry on his big brothers shoulder Findlay.
To be honest, I feel there are more important things in life than the result of a football match and I couldn`t understand why so many people would get so animated, even mong my own family, but I had to go for a celebratory drink last night after full time and by the time I got back to the sofa I was almost breathless to the point of panic.
The rage this morning from all the “anyone but Celtic” brigade is priceless.
This is all down to three things that happened in a matter of minutes and it
is as if they had swallowed a poison made up of a weedkiller that sent them
over the edge. A weedkiller made up of bleach, vinegar and salt.
The killer bleach was the result in Govan, the vinegar that was hard to take
was the last minute (correct decision) penalty and the salt was rubbed into
all their wounds. They all had a right good slug of it and they all suffered
the same symptoms: temporary, bigoted madness. A madness that
caused them all to make an utter fool of themselves.
Long may it continue and I hope there is enough left in the ribbed bottle
for McInnes on Saturday