Celtic midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain kept the Hoops in the title race against Livingston as his late strike off the bench won Martin O’Neill’s side the game.
After coming on in the 78th minute to make his debut, Oxlade-Chamberlain curled home the winner in the 91st minute of the game, introducing himself to the Parkhead crowd in the best way possible.
Oxlade-Chamberlain only signed for the club four days ago as a free agent. There were some concerns that the player wouldn’t be ready for action for a while, as he has been without competitive football for over six months, but it seems he didn’t take long to get himself up to speed.
Speaking after the game, captain Callum McGregor praised his new teammate. He said:
“Huge [three points]. We just keep banging the door down, and obviously, Alex gets an unbelievable goal. Big quality. But the team are fighting right until the end.
We should be out of sight by half-time, to be honest. It’s another good sign that the team keeps going, keep going. Scoring so many late goals. It’s just a testament to the mentality of the group.
It’s hard when there are 11 bodies plus nine of your own trying to score. Teams are flooding the box. You have to keep working it. Really patient. The goal is a perfect example. Everyone is dropping deep. They cut back, and what a finish.”
The Ox also spoke about his dream debut:
“I was drawing that one up in the hotel room earlier; they are the things you dream of. Still at this age, late on in my career, moments like that are why we play this game. You never get bored of it.
I’m delighted the club has given me the chance to be back on the pitch and put faith in me to have moments like that. Now that is my job – to add quality.
The boys had been knocking the door down for a long time. We have to learn that we need moments like that, bits of quality, and be more clinical to see games out. Great character from the boys, they stayed focused all the way through the game and got the job done.
[The atmosphere is] everything. I saw it the other night, and it’s a special place. Tonight proved it. I’ve seen it over the years watching Celtic, and to feel that now – it’s a massive club. The fans play such a big role. As players, it’s our job to keep inspiring them, keep them with us, and keep performing for them.”
Return of the Ox
What better way for Oxlade-Chamberlain to arrive in Glasgow? It’s clear that he’s going to have a massive impact here, and the midfielder is going to have to play a crucial part going forward.
Although he was only available on the bench against Livingston, there are hopes that he will be ready for a start soon. Being out of football for several months, there were always going to be questions asked about his fitness, but he showed his class last night and proved to Martin O’Neill that he won’t need long before he’s ready to play the full match.