Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia was the subject of mocking chants from the Liverpool fans as he helped his side claim a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. The Belgium international made only his tenth start for the Blues this season and delivered an impressive showing in midfield.
Lavia played for 78 minutes before he was withdrawn for Malo Gusto, and the Liverpool fans made sure he heard their chants as he trudged off the pitch. They taunted him with ‘champions’ and ‘you could have signed for the champions’ chants, and he responded by gesturing for them to sing louder before applauding the Chelsea fans.
Liverpool and Chelsea went head-to-head for the signature of Romeo Lavia from Southampton in the summer of 2023. The Reds initially appeared to lead the race to sign the youngster but delayed, allowing the Blues to swoop in and sign him for £58 million. They also missed out on signing Moises Caicedo despite reaching an agreement with Brighton & Hove Albion, with the midfielder prioritising a move to Stamford Bridge.
Jürgen Klopp signed Wataru Endo instead for Liverpool, and the duo of Lavia and Caicedo showed them exactly what they missed out on on Sunday. The former, in particular, needed just two minutes to show his quality, as he began the sequence from which Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring.
Romeo Lavia was targeted as the Reds sought to rebuild their midfield following the departures of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and Naby Keita. They still rue their failure to sign him, as they remain in the market for a player in his position despite Ryan Gravenberch impressing this season.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has praised Chelsea forward Cole Palmer for his display against Liverpool. The 22-year-old was on target for the first time in 19 games to help his side claim an impressive 3-1 win over the champions at home.
Neville was on commentary duty for Sky Sports when he pointed out that Palmer was the best player on the pitch by a distance. He said that Palmer was deserving of the goal he scored at the death, stating that he was a joy to watch.
Palmer was named Man of the Match after a top-level display against the newly-minted Premier League champions. He created four chances, won seven of nine ground duels, and attempted five shots, two of which were on target, with another hitting the woodwork.
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