A quick VAR check deemed no further action was required on Jack Milne’s tackle on Beni Baningime me during Hearts vs Aberdeen.
The sides played out a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle yesterday as Nicky Devlin’s second half own goal cancelled out teammate’s Leighton Clarkson’s opener.
Both threw hammer and tong at it to try and find a winner and it was the Jambos who put most pressure on towards the end.
The closing stages were frantic and end-to-end which made for a pulsating spectacle for fans but also brought a lunging tackle from the young defender.
With Baningime getting to the ball first, Milne dived in to try and stop him from getting away but caught player instead of ball.
Aberdeen’s Jack Milne lucky not to see red
Referee Kevin Clancy didn’t even deem the Aberdeen youngster’s challenge to be a foul in real time and VAR didn’t intervene to ask him to look again for a potential sending off.
Hearts fans were left baffled by it and have remained so since.
And former English top flight whistler Dermot Gallagher is of the belief Milne was lucky.
Asked that question on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, he said: “Yeah, I think he was. I think this is not a nice tackle.
“He has caught him with his studs right across the ankle.
“The clue for me is the ball and where the ball is where he hits it.”
Aberdeen star’s tackle vs Hearts brings up VAR debate
As it stands, VAR can only get involved for a red card tackle meaning the operator can only ask the referee to take a second look if they felt it was worthy of the highest punishment.
Despite Gallagher’s belief, that clearly wasn’t the case yesterday.
What that means though is that Milne escapes completely and doesn’t even get a yellow card.
Gallagher reckons that throws up a debate about the working protocols of VAR.
He added: “What’s really interesting about this tackle and raises a massive, massive debate is the player didn’t get sanctioned so he escapes scot-free.
“If the VAR had sent to the referee to the screen, him retaining all the options could have come back and ‘said not a red card’, although I think it is, but he could have yellow carded him.
“But the player got nothing because of how the protocol is set up.”