Hearts missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Motherwell at Fir Park. The visitors, chasing their first league title since 1960, fell behind for the fifth consecutive match when Stephen Kingsley turned the ball into his own net. Lawrence Shankland equalised just before half-time to keep Hearts four points clear of Celtic, who can cut the gap to one point by beating Rangers on Sunday.
Hearts manager Derek McInnes expressed frustration over a second-half penalty appeal that was turned down. Alexandros Kyziridis went down in the box after appearing to be caught by Tawanda Maswanhise, but referee Steven McLean, after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, decided not to award a spot-kick. “I’m adamant it is a penalty,” McInnes said. “The explanation I got was, ‘yes, there’s contact, but there’s not enough contact’. Anybody who’s played football knows that because Kyziridis is sprinting, he doesn’t need to take a lot of contact to go down.”
McInnes also confirmed that defenders Craig Halkett and Marc Leonard suffered serious achilles injuries during the match, ruling them out for a significant period. “Both have been brilliant this season,” he added. Hearts could still seal the title at home to Falkirk on Wednesday if results go their way, but McInnes urged his side not to dwell on the disappointment. Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou, meanwhile, defended the referee’s decision, saying the contact was insufficient to warrant a penalty.
