Romeo Lavia hails Chelsea’s win over Manchester United as ‘statement’ after commanding display

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has described his side’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United as a major ‘statement’ after producing an impressive performance in their Premier League clash on Saturday, October 31.

The 22-year-old delivered one of his finest displays since joining the Blues, helping them secure a much-needed victory against Michael Carrick’s struggling Manchester United.

Lavia was influential in both phases of play, recording 23 defensive contributions and an impressive 89 per cent passing accuracy while providing the assist for Morgan Rogers’ opening goal.

His commanding performance in midfield helped Chelsea maintain control of the contest and secure all three points, with the result offering encouragement as the team looks to build momentum in the Premier League.

Speaking to Chelsea’s official website after the match, Lavia praised the collective effort of his teammates and described the victory as an important indication of what the team could achieve going forward.

“It was a very important game and important win. I think the team effort was amazing,” he said.

“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.”

Lavia explains Chelsea’s second-half response

Chelsea’s victory was built on an improved second-half performance after the visitors threatened to take advantage of mistakes from the hosts before the break.

Lavia acknowledged that his side had given Manchester United opportunities through unnecessary errors, particularly when attempting to play out from situations they had largely controlled.

However, the midfielder revealed that the message at half-time was to correct those lapses without abandoning the approach that had given Chelsea control of the game.

“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,” he explained.

“So the message was just to rectify that little detail in the second half and for the rest not to change anything.”

The adjustment proved effective as Chelsea tightened their defensive organisation and maintained their authority in midfield to see out an important result.

The victory also offered a timely boost for the Blues, who will be hoping to carry the performance into their upcoming fixtures.

Injury-hit Lavia reaping rewards of hard work

Beyond the team result, the performance represented another significant step in Lavia’s efforts to establish himself as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian international has endured a frustrating spell since arriving from Southampton in 2023, with recurring injury problems restricting his involvement and disrupting his progress.

However, the midfielder is beginning to find consistency and believes the work done behind the scenes at Chelsea’s training ground is starting to produce results.

Rather than focusing on his individual contribution, Lavia explained that his priority is to create the conditions for his teammates to perform at their best.

“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,” he said.

“So I’m happy I’ve been able to do that and help the team to get a good win.”

The 22-year-old also expressed satisfaction with his current form, crediting the collective effort of the club’s staff and players for helping him reach a level where he feels comfortable on the pitch.

“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.”