Virgil van Dijk sends message to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain message after Celtic winner vs Livingston
Virgil van Dijk has responded to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after he celebrated his late winner on his debut for Celtic with a post on Instagram.
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Celtic last week on an initial six-month contract, having been without a club since leaving Besiktas last August.
He was training with his former side Arsenal over the winter in hope of finding a new club for the remainder of the campaign, and Martin O’Neill took the gamble to sign him up at Parkhead.
The 32-year-old made 50 appearances in his two years in Turkey, having previously spent the previous six years at Liverpool, where he won the Premier League and Champions League among several other trophies.
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a late winner to cap off a dream Hoops debut against Livingston on Wednesday, and his former Reds teammate Van Dijk reached out on social media after the game.
- Read more: How Celtic fans inside Parkhead reacted to news of Motherwell’s late equaliser vs Rangers
Virgil van Dijk reacted with a fire emoji to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s post
O’Neill handed Oxlade-Chamberlain his Hoops debut and first competitive appearance since last May off the bench in the 78th minute.
He helped Celtic push for a winner with the game locked at 1-1 in the closing stages, and then decided the game with a shot that curled home from the edge of the box in the 91st minute and sent Parkhead into a frenzy.
Taking to Instagram following his winner, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “Dream start and a big 3 points! We keep pushing.”
His message drew reactions from across the footballing world, as his old teammate and ex-Celtic man Van Dijk replied with a fire emoji, Declan Rice left three clapping emojis, and Joe Hart commented: “Buzzing” with a heart-eyes emoji.
- Read more: Arsenal and Liverpool fans all say same thing about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Celtic debut
How did Arsenal and Liverpool fans react to Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal?
Chamberlain has started his Celtic career in the best possible way, with his late strike rolling back the years to when he was in his prime playing for both Arsenal and Liverpool.
He spent six years with the Gunners between 2011 and 2017, making 198 appearances, before going to play 146 times for Liverpool from 2017 to 2023.
The 32-year-old’s goal drew reactions from fans of both clubs on X, with one Arsenal fan writing: “Yes the Ox,” while a Reds supporter said: “And what a goal that is! So happy for Ox.”