In a moment of pure relief and confusion, Hibernian captain Joe Newell admitted he was convinced his equalizer against Celtic would be chalked off by VAR. The midfielder's first-half strike was subjected to a lengthy video check for a potential handball, leaving Newell and the Easter Road faithful on tenterhooks. "To be completely honest, who knows the rules anymore?" Newell confessed after the 2-1 defeat. "I haven't seen any replay, so I don't actually know what happened. But just from what I remember, I felt like the ball was between my hip bone and my arm."

Despite the anxiety, the goal stood. VAR official Don Robertson determined there was insufficient evidence to overturn the on-field decision, much to Newell's relief. However, the captain's joy was short-lived as Celtic snatched a second-half winner to leave Hibs empty-handed. "I didn't have that elation because I kind of thought, who knows now? When it was getting checked for offside and handball, you're thinking it's not going to go your way," Newell reflected.

The result was made even more frustrating by yet another red card for Hibs. Jamie McGrath's dismissal means the Edinburgh side have now seen four players sent off in their last three matches, leaving Newell to lament his team's discipline issues. "There's a lot to be done with 10 men again," he said. "The boys dug in as expected, but we fell short. It's a killer that the winner came from a set-piece—you always feel those can be avoided."

The captain's frustration was echoed by the empty seats at Easter Road, where large gaps were visible in the stands despite an official attendance of over 18,000. With Hibs struggling for consistency and discipline, Newell's post-match comments sum up the current mood: "I feel like we're just not giving ourselves enough of a chance to get a foothold in any game. Who knows anymore? I don't know the rule. Who knows?"