Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffers brutal Celtic setback as commentator sums it up

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first taste of the Old Firm Derby was cut short by Martin O'Neil, with the interim Celtic head coach bringing the Ex-Liverpool man off at half-timeAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain was taken off at half-time of the Old Firm DerbyAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain's promising start to his Celtic career suffered a brutal setback on Sunday as he was hauled off at half-time during the Old Firm Derby, leaving commentator Chris Sutton to say the pace of the game was "just too much for him".Celtic traveled to Rangers on Sunday afternoon needing a win to keep any slim title hopes alive. Hearts beat Aberdeen on Saturday to extend its lead at the top of the table - going nine points clear of Celtic.Oxlade-Chamberlain, who joined the club in January after leaving Besiktas, started the game at Ibrox - his first taste of an Old Firm Derby - having already played in the Merseyside, North London and Istanbul derbies already.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has looked impressive since joining Celtic, and had a dream debut.READ MORE: Jamie Carragher clarifies Fernando Torres and Hugo Ekitike comparison after Liverpool verdictREAD MORE: Ex-Liverpool man explains why he wouldn't have liked playing next to Mohamed SalahBut the game quickly turned into a nightmare for the ex-Liverpool man, as he gave away possession multiple times and failed to get into the swing of things.Rangers took the lead early through a spectacular Youssef Chermiti overhead kick, the forward echoing Cristiano Ronaldo's effort against Juventus to send Ibrox into raptures.Chermiti doubled Rangers' lead on 26 minutes, flicking the ball over a Celtic defender before tapping past Vijami Sinisalo.Needing to get into the game in some way, interim Celtic boss Martin O'Neill made drastic switches at half-time, hauling off Oxlade-Chamberlain or Reo Hatate as the reigning Scottish champion looked to get something out of the game.GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MARCH 01: Youssef Chermiti of Rangers celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the William Hill Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on March 01, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. He first moved to Besiktas on a free, but struggled to find his feet in Turkey and only made 38 Super Lig appearances - scoring five times.He joined Celtic in January having not played a single minute for Besiktas so far this season, having also trained with Arsenal for a short period.and said after the move was completed that he was looking forward to getting going again.Speaking after the move was confirmed, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “Speaking with the manager, it just felt like the perfect fit for me and I feel like I can come in and help out the lads.READ MORE: Hugo Ekitike claims he is ‘not happy’ despite convincing Liverpool win West HamREAD MORE: 'I brought Andy Robertson to the Premier League but could never have have predicted his success'“Just talking to the manager, and Shaun Maloney as well, who told the expectations on the club and what it means to play here, what our targets are and that he’s going to push me.“That’s all the stuff I identify with and that’s the environment I’ve always been in and been lucky enough to be in.“It’s exactly what I need.

I need another challenge and lucky enough at a massive club like this. And they can help me get back to where I need to get to and, more importantly, I need to help the team achieve the goals we want to do.”