CELTIC striker Leigh Griffiths claimed Inverness Caledonian Thistle's Josh Meekings admitted during yesterday's Scottish Cup semi-final that he "100%" should have had a penalty given against him - although later the supposed guilty man insisted it was only right he escaped punishment.

 

Meekings clearly handled the ball to deny Griffiths a goal when Celtic were leading 1-0. He not only avoided the foul, but also a red card. After the game, Griffiths wore the expression of a man who couldn't quite believe what had happened as he spoke to the media while the celebrations from the Inverness dressing room could be clearly heard.

Griffiths said: "It was very disappointing. We had a chance to go and make history. I have asked the centre-half in the second-half if it has hit his hand or his face and he said it hit his hand 100%, so in my book that's a penalty and a red card. We have probably the best penalty taker in the league in Kris Commons who I am sure would go and tuck it away and put us 2-0 up.

"They'd have been down to 10 men and it would have been a mountain for them to come back. I knew it was a penalty. I think everyone in the ground knew it was a penalty.

"He is the one who said it hit him in the face (additional assistant Alan Muir). I asked the ref why he didn't give the penalty and he said the assistant behind the goal said it hit him in the face. I don't know what angle he is looking from because everyone else could see it was a penalty.

"It is a game-changing decision. We go in 1-0 up at half-time we should come out and see the game out so credit to Inverness they came out and had a right go."

Meekings himself was less sure that a penalty would have been the right decision. The defender would rather focus on history being made by Inverness than on the penalty that didn't happen.

He said: "My arm is up but I'm two yards away, I can't do anything about it. But my arm is up and I have seen them given. I know my arm is an unnatural position but all I have done is to try and block the ball, there wasn't much I could do in that situation.

"I wasn't looking at the ball and I didn't deliberately put my arm towards the ball. It's a tough call for the ref, I'm just thankful I was able to stay on the pitch and we were able to get the win.

"I don't want this to overshadow the performance of the lads because that would be wrong because we deserved to win.