“The thing that’s toughest to take here is the inconsistency.”
David Gray was left exasperated following the inconsistences in decisions made at Easter Road in Hibernian’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United.
Hibs looked to be on track to end a five-game run without a win as they led through Lewis Miller’s first-half header, but United levelled with a 90th-minute penalty from Sam Dalby after Mykola Kuharevich was shown a second yellow card for pulling the shirt of Emmanuel Adegoboyega.
The decision was reached following a VAR review, with referee Colin Steven invited to go the monitor.
Despite being down to 10 men, Hibs thought they were about to be given the chance to go back in front, deep into stoppage time when VAR checked for a penalty after United forward Dalby appeared to grab the shirt of Warren O’Hora, but this time Steven was not asked to go to the monitor.
“I think if the first one’s a penalty, the second one’s a penalty,” said Gray. “If I’m being really honest, I don’t think either of them are penalties. The thing that’s toughest to take here is the inconsistency.
“Clearly, you always run the risk when you grab a jersey, so I’d never condone it anyway. It’s stupid, it’s unprofessional, it’s lazy defending, but we were told that the player has to be able to effect the ball.
“I don’t think the player can effect the ball at all in the first one. The referee doesn’t give it, then he’s advised to go to the screen, so VAR intervenes and then he doesn’t do it for the second one where O’Hora can actually head the ball.
“You can clearly see the centre-forward’s got his jersey, pulls it up over his back, and he doesn’t give the foul, so I’m a bit confused as to what is and what isn’t, and why he wasn’t asked even just to go over to the monitor.
“If you’re talking about consistency, he should have at least been asked to go and see it, purely on what he gave the first one for.”