Chelsea supporters were delighted to welcome back one crucial player to their starting side this week against Bournemouth.
Romeo Lavia was in the starting side for the second time in four days as he built on his 45 minute comeback against Morecambe.
Owen Hargreaves in particular had been wowed by the performance of Lavia in the first half, with Chelsea somehow not more than a goal up.
However, the collapse began just after the break, and the Belgian was at the heart of it, giving the ball away that led to the penalty for the first goal.
Romeo Lavia went straight down the tunnel after being subbed during Chelsea vs Bournemouth
He was replaced pretty much straight away after this for Reece James, who stepped up in dramatic circumstances to rescue Chelsea a point in added time.
A positive performance in the whole, however Blues fans were left worried that he did not stay to watch the rest of the game from the bench.
Journalist Kieran Gill has stated that instead he went straight up the tunnel with a member of staff.
He said: “Romeo Lavia managed close to an hour vs Bournemouth. Then went down tunnel with Chelsea masseur Billy McCulloch while game was still going.
“Chelsea been treating his return from injury carefully, with aim to keep him (and Reece James) available for remainder of season.”
Romeo Lavia’s terrible injury record at Chelsea
Lavia has played just 13 games since he made the move to Chelsea in the summer of 2023. All but one of those have come this season.
This has been down to his woeful injury record, which has robbed Chelsea fans of seeing the best of him on a regular basis.
His latest return will no doubt leave him praying that he has begun to put those issues behind him, similarly to James.
The club captain scored his first goal for the Blues since 2022, no doubt a massive moment for a player who has been through so much of late.
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