Neil Critchley accused John Beaton of a lack of respect and criticised the referee’s decisions to send off two of his players as Hearts suffered an agonising 2-1 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Aberdeen after extra time.
The Tynecastle side had Michael Steinwender red-carded in the 43rd minute after being deemed to have denied a goal-scoring opportunity when he fouled Topi Keskinen.
At that point, the match was delicately poised at 1-1 after Lawrence Shankland’s 28th-minute equaliser cancelled out an 18th-minute own goal by Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Critchley’s side adopted a compact 5-3-1 formation in the second half and dug deep to take the tie to extra time and they looked on course to force penalties, until Cammy Devlin was shown a second yellow card in the 116th minute for a foul on Dante Polvara.
The Dons eventually made their numerical advantage count with a 118th-minute winner from Palestinian substitute Oday Dabbagh, with Hearts assistant boss Mike Garrity shown a red card at full-time.
“I’ve never seen a referee get a red card out quicker in my entire life,” he said of the pivotal decision to send off Steinwender. “It’s a long way from goal and we’ve got recovering defenders. He couldn’t wait to send him off.
“There were a few questionable decisions all the way through the game: Cammy Devlin’s first booking. And the second one, he’s in motion, he’s going to clear the ball and the lad jumps in front of him. Yeah, it’s a foul, but to book him, I mean, come on. Oh, wow. Absolutely incredible.”
Critchley was unhappy with the response he got when he and his assistant tried to speak to Beaton.
“I got some kind of response, yeah, but, obviously, when you try to say things in a respectful way, you hope you get respect back and I don’t think I got that,” he said.
“I was near my assistant who he sent off at the end, didn’t swear at him, asked to speak to him, his response was not very good in my opinion.
“And then when I asked him why he’d sent him off, for what reason, he then said he would send me off. I was thinking ‘for what reason, why?’
“I did not swear, that’s not how I conduct myself. You just hope you get that level of respect in return and in my opinion we didn’t get that.”
Critchley was “really proud” of his team’s performance.
“We were the better team in the first half and then with 10 men, we were brilliant,” he said.
“The least we deserved, in my opinion, was to take it to penalties. Aberdeen might still have won, but at least we would have had that opportunity, which I think the performance deserved.”
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin was delighted to reach the first final of his managerial career.
“It doesn’t matter how you win a semi-final, you just have to win,” said the Swede, whose side struggled to penetrate their opponents until Dabbagh’s late winner.
“Hearts started well and we were under pressure. The red card helped to get more calmness in our team. But we know from experience that when they’re a man down, there’s less space for us to play.
“We kept pushing and adding fresh players. The subs added energy and finally we had that extra punch to win the game. Now we have to celebrate.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
