Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a stunning stoppage-time winner on his Celtic debut to secure a dramatic 2-1 win against Livingston, keeping their title hopes alive in the process.
Ambitions of staying within touching distance of Hearts at the top of the table were beginning to fade as Celtic struggled to break down bottom-of-the-table Livingston after Robbie Muirhead’s penalty cancelled out Marcelo Saracchi’s opener.
However, after climbing off the bench in the 78th minute to make his debut, after only signing for the club four days prior, Oxlade-Chamberlain stepped up in the 91st minute to curl home the winner, introducing himself to the home crowd in perfect style.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain marks his Celtic debut in style, firing home an injury-time winner to seal a dramatic win over Livingston.
“A great goal from a special player,” said Martin O’Neill to Sky Sports after the game. “I couldn’t be more delighted for him.
“He is an excellent player, and when he gets right up to speed with the pace of the games, he will be an asset to us.”
Celtic’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates scoring to make it 2-1 with teammate Benjamin Nygren
The victory, as thrilling as it was, likely should have been more convincing given their dominance on the evening but the Hoops were consistently thwarted by Livingston goalkeeper Jerome Prior, who made nine saves in total.
Martin O’Neill’s side now sit six points adrift of Hearts at the top of the table with a game in hand and face Kilmarnock on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, as they look to continue applying pressure in the title race.
Rangers conceding late to draw against 10-man Motherwell, following a goal from Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh, means the Hoops now sit just one point behind their rivals.
“That is great for us, he is a Celtic player,” O’Neill added when asked about Welsh scoring against Rangers. “Well done him.”
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Stephen Welsh breaks Rangers’ hearts with a late equaliser at Fir Park.
O’Neill: Tonight was huge for us, we have been chasing all season
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill speaking to Sky Sports:
“We got ourselves into a situation where we could have been out of sifht and their goalkeeper played very well. One goal was never going to be enough; there was always a possibility of conceding. That is the nature of the game.
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Martin O’Neill speaks after Celtic’s late 2-1 victory over Livingston
“It was a great win for us in the end. We have shown the spirit and determination but that alone might not see us through. Tonight was a big, big victory for us. We should have been well in front.
“I think it is the same. We have been chasing all season and naturally, there is no room for manoeuvre. Tonight would have been disappointing to drop points but we didn’t, so we continue to chase.”
Bartley: We were beaten by ‘top’ player Oxlade-Chamberlain
Livingston boss Marvin Bartley:
“First and foremost, I have to give my players a lot of credit for how they played.
“We had to come up with a gameplan which needed a lot of energy to do so and I thought they did that.
“Ultimately, we were beaten at the end by a really good goal by a player who has performed at the top level.
“I’ve been here too many times to think you’ve got them until the final whistle. You see the amount of late goals Celtic score, you are never out of the woods completely.
“The belief will never go away as long as we can stay up. If they match that effort, we will be fine. We need to get to the split and I’d put my team up against any other team.”
