Why does the hydrogen atom in HCl (when dissociated in water) bond to the oxygen rather than staying with the chlorine atom? Why does the hydrogen atom in $\ce{HCl}$ (when dissociated in water) bond to the oxygen rather than staying with the chlorine atom. They ($\ce{Cl}$ and $\ce{O}$) have roughly the same electronegativity (3.5).

I saw this question:
Dissociation of HCl in aqueous solution
but it doesn't answer what I'm asking.
Look at it from the point of view of the chloride ion. In $\ce{HCl}$, the chloride is attracted to only one hydrogen. But when dissolved in water, the chloride is attracted to the partial positive charges on the hydrogens of several water molecules. Each $\ce{H2O-Cl}$ attraction is less than the $\ce{H-Cl}$ attraction but many of them act together to attract the $\ce{Cl}$ ion away from $\ce{HCl}$. Once the $\ce{Cl}$ is attracted away, that leaves a hydrogen ion to be attracted to the partially negative oxygen of a water molecule.

These forces between multiple waters and an $\ce{HCl}$ are stronger than forces between adjacent $\ce{HCl}$ molecules. Otherwise, $\ce{HCl}$ would be a liquid at room temperature instead of a gas.