Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a stunning stoppage-time winner on his Celtic debut to keep their title hopes alive with a dramatic 2-1 win over Livingston.
Ambitions to stay within touching distance of top-placed Hearts began to fade as Celtic struggled to topple bottom-placed Livingston after Robbie Muirhead’s penalty canceled out Marcelo Saracchi’s opener.
But after coming off the bench in the 78th minute for his debut, Oxlade-Chamberlain came on in the 91st minute after only four days with the club to introduce the winner to the home crowd in perfect style.
Martin O’Neill said it was “a great goal from a special player.” sky sports After the game. “I couldn’t be happier for him.
“He is a great player and if he adapts to the pace of the game right away he will be an asset to us.”
Celtic’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates scoring with team-mate Benjamin Nygren in a 2-1 win.
A thrilling win might have been more convincing considering their dominance on the evening, but the Hoops were consistently thwarted by Livingston goalkeeper Jerome Prior, who made a total of nine saves.
Martin O’Neill’s side currently sit top of the table, six points ahead of Hearts with a game in hand, and will face Kilmarnock on Sunday. sky sportsThey look to keep the pressure on in the title race.
Rangers were held to a late draw against 10-man Motherwell following a goal from Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh, meaning the Hoops are now just one point behind their rivals.
“He’s a Celtic player,” O’Neill added when asked about Wales’ goal against Rangers. “good job.”
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Stephen Welsh broke Rangers’ hearts with a late equalizer at Fir Park.
O’Neill: Tonight was really big for us. We’ve been chasing it all season
Celtic president Martin O’Neill speaking sky sports:
“We got into a situation where we could have been scolded and their goalkeeper played very well. One goal won’t be enough. There was always the possibility of conceding a goal. That’s the nature of the game.”
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Martin O’Neill speaks after Celtic’s late 2-1 win over Livingston.
“In the end, it was a big win for us. We showed spirit and determination, but that alone won’t hurt us. Tonight was a big, big win for us. We should have been way ahead.
“I think it’s the same. We’ve been chasing all season and obviously there’s no room for manoeuvre. It would have been a shame to have dropped points tonight, but we didn’t, so we’re still chasing.”
