Celtic’s DNA on display as a new aura shifts the title narrative

Tomas Bent Magnusson's late decider for Hearts against Hibs at Tynecastle on Tuesday evening, followed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's injury-time winner for the champions against Livingston and accompanied by on-loan Celtic defender's last-gasp equaliser for Motherwell against Rangers at Fir Park felt seismic.

There will be plenty more twists and turns in the title race before May, but it will be hard to match the drama and the excitment of those 48 hours.

Hearts are going nowhere. Good teams and potential champions win matches like these. Celtic keep doing what Celtic do best. Go right to the end, and it's never over until it's over. As for Rangers, their supporters must have felt a slight sense of deja-vu about their title challenge.

The men in green and white know they cannot continue to dredge matches out of the fire, or can they?

To be fair, this is the Celtic Way. It is written into their very DNA. It happens too often to be coincidental.

While we are at it, here is something over time that will become a quick pub quiz question.

Name the three Celtic players in the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season who scored goals on their debut to save the day?

Answer: Kelechi Iheanacho at Kilmarnock, Junior Adamu against Dundee and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Who would have thought that new players could make such an impact and a valid contribution to the tightest Premiership title race in years? Certainly not the Celtic board.

However, those three goals are the ones that you scribble into the review of any season and mark down as pivotal.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's 91st-minute counter against Livingston is the one that may well define Celtic's campaign. Oxlade-Chamberlain is a big name, and he was brought in to deliver big moments. He duly delivered with an exquisite curled strike into the bottom corner when Celtic were desperately crying out for inspiration.

The former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder has made his first statement. That's the warning shot over the bow. The 32-year-old also carved out a deeper, psychological message in the process, as this goal mattered.

Write the champions off at your peril.

As Oxlade-Chamberlain himself noted: "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 with 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

"We have to learn that we need moments like that, bits of quality that get the job done."

Yet there is something peculiarly and particularly Celtic about it all. A dramatic finish, a new cult hero and a massive emotional lift. It felt more than just three points if such a thing is possible.

In less than 15 minutes, Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal has embedded itself into the folklore of this season, whilst he has ingrained himself into the Celtic culture of the team being a winning machine. If ever a goal transformed the title narrative, then it is this one.

With one swish of Oxlade-Chamberlain's right boot, all of a sudden, Celtic's title chase feels very much alive. More alive than it's felt than at any given moment this season. In that instant, Celtic's title tilt was rejuvenated.

It's small wonder Celtic boss Martin O'Neill dished out fulsome praise to the ex-England international.

O'Neill said: "He's been a class player, there's no question about it. He's played for big teams, and he's performed brilliantly.

"I'm just delighted to have him, and getting him onto the field as well to turn the game for us was brilliant, as only he can.

"He's a really decent player, and once he gets up to speed with things, as he's only done a couple of days, 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. That's always a good sign. I'm just delighted that he's in, and I think that when he's probably fit, he'll be great for us."

Oxlade-Chamberlain has brought an aura. His arrival has felt like a shot in the arm for his teammates and the wider fanbase just when they needed it most.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's debut goal underscores a home truth about this season. The race for the league flag will continue to rely heavily on moments of individual genius. Winning ugly and grinding out results is just as important as doing it with style and swagger.

The margins for error now are thin, and teams will cling on for dear life to anything which they perceive will give them a psychological edge in the run-in.

Hearts are now feeling the threat of a revitalised rival breathing down their neck.

Are Danny Rohl's Rangers starting to wobble at the wrong time again? Has Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal ushered in a Celtic resurgence?

Titles are not won on points tally alone, but on belief. Oxlade-Chamberlain helped Celtic find theirs.

If football is a game of stories, then Oxlade-Chamberlain might well have timed his run and arrival at Celtic Park to perfection to pen another glorious chapter in green and white. His instant bond with the Celtic supporters will have resonated with both of their rival challengers.

Scottish football is now bracing itself for more drama before the season ends. For those of a nervous disposition, strap yourself in as you are going to be put through the proverbial shredder.

However, Oxlade-Chamberlain's moment that conjured up a precious three points for Celtic on Wednesday may well have tipped the balance of power.

Judging by the wild celebrations that greeted Oxlade-Chamberlain's late counter, which sent Celtic Park into a state of absolute delirium, it is clear to see that O'Neill's men have the bit between their teeth once again.