Romeo Lavia believes Chelsea’s performance in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United laid down a marker for what he and the Blues are capable of this season.
The Belgian was in fine form as we got back to winning ways at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and played an important part in the opening goal shortly after half-time. It was Lavia who halted a United attack with a crucial tackle and then reacted quickly to nip in and send the loose ball to Morgan Rogers.
From there, Rogers powered forward through the Man Utd defence and lifted a composed finish over the keeper. Cole Palmer then added a second from the penalty spot to extend our lead and ensure it was the Blues who would take all three points.
For Lavia, it was a performance which further underlined his growing momentum in the Chelsea midfield, as he continues to put a difficult period with injury behind him.
‘I like to say that my job is to make the job for the other players in front of me easier, and everyone around me,’ reflected Lavia. ‘So I'm happy I've been able to do that and help the team to get a good win.
‘I feel very comfortable. Like I've always said, it's been in the weeks a lot of work that goes unseen with everyone in the building, at the training ground. So I'm very happy that it's all paying off and hopefully it just continues this way.’
The win at the Bridge saw Chelsea bounce back from the double disappointment of last week’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur and the midweek Carabao Cup exit at Liverpool on penalties, with the added bonus of returning the Blues to the top four of the Premier League table, at least until Liverpool’s meeting with Arsenal on Sunday.
‘It was a very important game and important win,’ Lavia continued. ‘I think the team effort was amazing. Everyone, from the players who started to the players who came on, was engaged and I think that’s a good statement for what's ahead.
‘It was quite obvious that the chances that they had in the first half were coming from our mistakes, sometimes rushing things a little bit when we had the control. So the message was just to rectify that little detail in the second half and for the rest not to change anything. I think we did that and we got the clean sheet as well, so it's a very good win.
‘We’re very happy with the win, but we're not overthinking things. We are very focused and we know that it's a process. It's a good day, but a performance like this is a good statement of what we're capable of delivering.’
With Lavia completing his second full 90 minutes in the space of four days and Chelsea making it three wins from our last four Premier League games, it seems he and the team are beginning to hit their stride just as we approach the busy winter period.