Chelsea took a big step towards qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday by beating Liverpool 3-1, with Romeo Lavia producing an impressive performance after an injury-hit season
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12:00, 05 May 2025
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 4: Romeo Lavia of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on May 4, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Romeo Lavia is fit again after injury(Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Romeo Lavia insists he is finally winning his fitness battle in time to help Chelsea in their Champions League qualification fight. Lavia, 21, has been plagued by injuries since his £58million move to Stamford Bridge in 2023 and, incredibly, has yet to complete a full 90 minutes for the Blues.
The midfielder has suffered from a host of issues, with ankle, thigh and long term hamstring problems holding back his progress. But Lavia has been excellent on his return to action and his timing is good news for Chelsea as they bid to nail down a place in the top five to secure Champions League football next season.
Lavia said: “My goal the whole season was to be with the team and help them as much as I can. So I’m happy to be able to do it. I feel good, I feel good. So I just take it game by game and I’m enjoying every moment, so, yeah, so positive at the moment.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has described his team as having “five cup finals” left in their run-in, with three Premier League matches and potentially two more in the Conference League to complete. They have arguably the hardest run, with top five rivals Newcastle and Nottingham Forest away to come.
Lavia’s injury woes mean he is not in the Chelsea Conference League squad as the Blues look to finish the job against Djurgarden in the semi-finals on Thursday night, having won the first leg in Sweden 4-1. But he had this message for his team-mates ahead of the Stamford Bridge clash.
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“We know every game is important, so finals, finals is a big word,” said Lavia. “But I just think we have to focus on each game and stick to our plans and everything will go well.
“We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, so we just focus game by game. We’ve got a big one on Thursday, so we’ve just got to get ready and create that momentum.”
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 04: Romeo Lavia of Chelsea in action with Harvey Elliott of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on May 04, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Romeo Lavia powered Chelsea to victory
Maresca is also positive about the run-in. “My feeling is that - and I have had this already for a long time from when you work with the players everyday - they are all on the same page and heading in the same direction, in terms of how we want to play but also in terms of creating the right culture,” he said post-match. “It is so important.’
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