Oxlade-Chamberlain gives the Celtic fans what they came to see

Welcome to Scottish football, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The first appearance of the former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder at Celtic Park since he scored here for England in 2014 would prove to be a telling one as he netted in injury time to turn what would have been a deflating draw into a precious victory for his new club,

Supporters who had been hoping to see the new recruit start had needed to be patient, with Oxlade-Chamberlain named only on the bench having not played since last May. He was finally thrust into the fray after 78 minutes with Celtic chasing a winning goal, not the sort of introduction he would have been expecting after watching his new team-mates dominate for so long but spurn chance after chance.

Just as it was looking like Robbie Muirhead’s penalty was going to earn bottom side Livingston an unexpected point, up popped Oxlade-Chamberlain with a smart finish into the far corner to spark delirious celebrations. It was the ideal way to mark Martin O’Neill’s 200th league game in charge even if, after Marcelo Saracchi’s early opener, they made hard work of it before The Ox made his mark.

This was undoubtedly the least glamorous of the midweek matches involving the three championship chasers but that didn’t make it any less significant for Celtic who eventually did what was required of them but only after putting their supporters through the wringer first.

With Hearts stretching their lead at the top with a derby win over Hibernian the night before and Rangers in action away to in-form Motherwell, the visit of a Livingston side seemingly destined for the drop was not one that held massive appeal for any neutrals closely following the developments of an increasingly intriguing title race.

This has been a tumultuous season for Celtic — one that has already seen them make three changes of manager — but it could yet end up being a successful one if they can somehow haul in Hearts and hold off Rangers to finish as champions for a 14thtime in 15 years. Defeating Livingston was the next chapter, then, in that quest and they did so eventually to reduce the gap the leaders to six points with a game in hand still to play.

But, boy, did they make it hard for themselves. Saracchi’s first goal for the club after 15 minutes looked to have provided Celtic with the platform to go on and bolster their goal difference by thumping in another four or five. Instead, they continued to pass up chance after chance and would come to regret that when Muirhead stroked home his penalty to draw Livingston level.

As the volume of groans grew louder and the seconds ticked away, it was left for the new man to show his team-mates the way with a stunning finish to end Livingston’s stoic resistance.

The visitors look a side condemned to return to the Championship after just one season but will surely take heart from such a battling performance. They still await a first league victory since August but didn’t want for fight or spirit here as they kept Celtic at bay before enjoying that sweetest of moments when Muirhead equalised. They will need every ounce of that character if they are to somehow pull off what feels like a salvage mission over the coming months.

The game’s first goal arrived after 15 minutes but only after Celtic had created and squandered a good half-dozen attempts before then. What a shift it was from Jerome Prior, the Livingston goalkeeper, who was a blur of perpetual motion as he repelled shots from all angles and distances, with his defence bailing him out on the odd occasion that Prior needed assistance.

Some of the saves from the Frenchman were impressive but, in truth, there was a lot of wastefulness about Celtic’s finishing, too. One miss from Tomas Cvancara, where the Czech striker tamely stubbed his effort into the goalkeeper’s arms, was particularly glaring. Other rivals won’t be as generous as Livingston in allowing Celtic so many opportunities in front of goal.

It took a defender to show the midfielders and forwards how to do it. Saracchi was not brought to Celtic for his scoring prowess but he showed a nice touch to control a ball on the edge of the box after Arne Engels’ corner had been cleared in his direction. His second touch wasn’t bad either as he thumped a rocket of a shot beyond Prior with the aid of a slight direction. Celtic Park heaved a sigh of relief although it wasn’t all good news. Taking the corner would be Engels’ last telling involvement and the Belgian hirpled down the tunnel later in the half, to be replaced by Reo Hatate.

The expectation was that Celtic would simply run all over their visitors once they had broken their resistance but, to their credit, Livingston continued to thwart them, with Prior pouching another couple of Nygren efforts on goal. They also make sporadic forays into the Celtic penalty box, too, and one of those would lead to the most unlikely of equalisers.

Hatate didn’t seem aware of Muirhead creeping in behind him as he looked to clear Auston Trusty’s header and could only swipe the striker to the ground. It was a clear-cut penalty and Muirhead kept his nerve to thrash his shot beyond Kasper Schmeichel to draw Livingston level just shy of the hour mark. The last word, though, would go to Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Celtic (4-3-3): K Schmeichel — J Araujo (A Oxlade-Chamberlain 78 mins), A Trusty, L Scales, M Saracchi (K Tierney 61) — C McGregor, A Engels (R Hatate 32), B Nygren — S Tounekti, T Cvancara (J Adamu 61), D Maeda (J Forrest 78) Booked C McGregor

Livingston (4-4-2): J Prior — C Kerr (C Montano 62), B Kabongolo, D Wilson, R McGowan — S Pittman, E Danso (M Sylla 62), M Tait (L Smith 73), D Finlayson — S May (J Wanner 65), R Muirhead (J Bokila 73). Booked S May

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