Martin O’Neill praised the impact of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the England international struck late on to earn Celtic a vital 2-1 win at home to Livingston.
The former Liverpool midfielder was handed his debut off the bench in the second half after signing a short-term deal until the summer.
And he made a strong impression as he curled in a shot in second-half stoppage-time to earn Celtic three points after Marcelo Saracchi’s first-half goal had been cancelled out by a Livingston penalty by Robbie Muirhead.
O’Neill admitted he had not expected Oxlade-Chamberlain’s impact to be so dramatic but felt his composure and experience could be vital in the title run-in.
The Celtic manager said: “He’s been a class player, there’s no question about it.
“He’s played for big teams and performed brilliantly so I’m just really delighted to have him and getting him onto the field as well too.
“He turns the game for us which is brilliant. It was a great strike and I was right behind it when I saw it. The minute it left his foot, I thought, ‘this is in’.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain announced himself at Celtic Park in spectacular fashion, turning his 12-minute cameo into an instant “fairytale” debut with a stoppage-time winner.
Adding the fixture column allows for a much cleaner layout, focusing the data on his clinical contribution against Livingston.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s Celtic Debut: In Numbers
Fixture Subbed On Scored FotMob Rating
Celtic 2-1 Livingston 78′ 90+1′ 7.0
Note: Data via FotMob. Oxlade-Chamberlain signed for Celtic as a free agent on February 7.
“I think that he can give us something, no question about that. He’s a really decent player and he gets up to speed with things.
“He’s only done it a couple of days and I couldn’t be more pleased with him.
“He’s made a big impact, believe it or not, even in the training sessions with the rest of the players, which is always a good sign.
“I’m just delighted he’s in and I think that, when he’s properly fit, he’ll be great for us.”