Jim Goodwin insisted Dundee United had a perfectly good goal chalked off against Hibs at Tannadice last night.
The hosts had opened the scoring early on through Ross Graham before Mykola Kuharevich equalised for the visitors.
United then had a Sam Dalby “goal” ruled out following a lengthy VAR check for handball.
Hibs sub Kieron Bowie struck late on with another replacement Junior Hoilett putting the icing on the cake for the visitors deep in stoppage time.
However, United boss Goodwin was raging over his side’s disallowed goal.
He said: “I need to be really careful with my choice of words, based on some of the big decisions that have gone against us in such an important and significant game.
“There was so much at stake for both clubs.
“If we’d drawn the game it wouldn’t have been a disaster. It would have kept the gap between us and Hibs to three points.
“The second half we played for large spells in Hibs territory. We were pushing for a winner and we thought we’d scored a perfectly-good goal.
“It takes three and a half, four minutes for the guys in the VAR studio to come to the decision that Sam Dalby has headed the ball onto his hand.
“From all the angles that I’ve seen with my analyst and from the broadcast angles, I can’t see it for the life of me.
“It’s just not clear, decisive and obvious. That’s a big decision that’s gone against us.”
Goodwin added: “And prior to the second Hibs goal, we should have had a corner.
“I’m 70 yards away from it and I can tell from the trajectory of the ball that Lewis Fiorini has kicked it off the Hibs player.
“How the officials can’t give the decision to give us a set play . . . it leads to their goal.
“Of course, you can look at how we defend it. It’s a great goal from the young lad Bowie but we should have had a corner. That’s the crux of it.”
United stormed into an early lead in just the fifth minute when a Rocky Bushiri clearing header only found Graham.
The defender, who is set to benefit in terms of game time from the departure of Kevin Holt to Derry City, controlled the ball on his chest before hitting a volley into the back of the Hibs net with the help of a deflection off Jack Iredale.
However, Kuharevich equalised in the 18th minute when Nicky Cadden swung a corner in from the right to the striker at the back post and he gave Walton no chance with a clinical downward header.
The Terrors thought they had taken the lead in the 62nd minute when Strain sent an inch-perfect free-kick in from the right to the back post with Dalby sending a thumping header past Hibs keeper Jordan Smith. However, the goal was chalked off following a lengthy VAR check.
Hibs took the lead once more in the 90th minute when Nectarios Triantis played in sub Bowie and he made no mistake with a strike high past Walton.
Deep in stoppage time, Hibs added another to seal the win with Hoilett racing through on goal and firing into the back of the net.
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