Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been at Celtic for a matter of days, and already he sounds like a man who knows exactly where he is.
It took him 13 minutes to make sure everyone else did too. Celtic were flat. Livingston were stubborn. The noise around Celtic Park had that nervous edge to it as the bottom side threatened to drag the game into something uncomfortable.
Then Oxlade-Chamberlain bent one into the corner.
A clean strike, whipped with conviction, the kind of finish you only attempt if you trust your ability. The goalkeeper got nowhere near it.
That is what a Champions League winner brings. Not hype. Not noise. Quality in tight moments.
After the match, the 32-year-old admitted he had already pictured the script.
He said (Celtic FC YouTube):
“I was sort of drawing that one up in the hotel room earlier, and they’re the things you dream of, you know.”
It was not said with arrogance. More with a sense of relief.
He knows where he is in his career. He knows opportunities like this do not come around twice.
“Still at this age, later on in my career, moments like that is why we play this game and you never get bored of stuff like that.
“I’m just delighted that the club’s given me the chance to be back on the pitch, put a bit of faith in me to be able to have moments like that and now that’s my job, to try and add a bit of quality like that.”
There was an honesty to it. Celtic have taken a chance on him. He looks determined to repay it.
He also understands the scale of the place.
“I saw it the other night and it’s a special, special place. Tonight proves it. I’ve seen it over the years watching Celtic and now to feel that it’s a massive, massive club and the fans can play such a big role and then for us as players, it’s our job to keep inspiring, keep them there, keep them with us and keep performing for them.”
Callum McGregor was quick to back that up.
The captain knows what lies ahead. There will be no stroll to this title.
“Like Alex said there, the supporters have got such a big part to play, and we need everyone pushing in the right direction. It’s going to be a real slog right up until the international break, and you’ve just got to keep winning games. It doesn’t matter how you win them, you’ve just got to keep winning them, and once we get to that last six weeks, we’ll be right in it and chasing it down.”
That is the reality. Kilmarnock away on Sunday. Then Stuttgart at Celtic Park in the Europa League.
Oxlade-Chamberlain will not feature in Europe. He is not in the squad.
Frustrating, maybe. Practical, definitely. If he keeps producing moments like that domestically, nobody will complain.
