After a six-month wait, the moment finally arrived for £58m summer signing Romeo Lavia as he stepped onto the Stamford Bridge pitch in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

 

Lavia’s transfer to Chelsea from Southampton was a lengthy saga, with Liverpool also vying for his signature. However, he eventually made the move to the Blues. Unfortunately, an ankle injury and poor fitness due to a limited preseason with Southampton delayed his debut until this week. Initially named on the bench for the Christmas Eve defeat against Wolves, the 19-year-old had to wait a few extra days to make his first appearance for Chelsea. However, when his name was called out over the tannoy, the SW6 faithful greeted him with applause.

 

Lavia replaced Ian Maatsen just before the hour mark, taking up the defensive midfield role that Conor Gallagher had been occupying. This allowed Gallagher, an England international, to play in his preferred position further up the pitch. Lavia made an immediate impact, slotting into the midfield and receiving a pass from Malo Gusto before being fouled by Jefferson Lerma. This allowed Chelsea to relieve the pressure they were facing in their own half.

 

Shortly after, Lavia clumsily fouled Michael Olise by sticking out his leg as the Palace winger tried to get past him. He also made a disappointing pass towards Mykhailo Mudryk, which went out for a throw-in. Despite these minor setbacks, Lavia showed his defensive prowess by making a couple of clearances and delivering a strong tackle on Jean-Philippe Mateta, the Eagles’ frontman.

 

Lavia’s involvement in midfield was limited, but he played his role effectively, moving the ball between the lines and evading tackles from Palace players. He displayed skill and composure as he pirouetted and calmly passed the ball to Caicedo before progressing it down the field.

Overall, Lavia had a solid first 30 minutes in a Chelsea shirt. He was thrown into a game that could have gone either way, but fortunately, he ended up on the winning side.