Estevao showed he deserves Chelsea place, Alonso says
Xabi Alonso said he was confident Estevao would make an impact against Manchester United, after the Brazilian lit up Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
The 19-year-old was handed his first Premier League start of the season, after his omission for recent matches had frustrated fans – and led to speculation about his future.
He was a constant threat, having more shots than anyone on the pitch, and twice put the ball in the net, only for both efforts to be ruled out for offside.
Estevao received a standing ovation when he was substituted late on, and shared an embrace with Alonso on the touchline.
And the Blues boss said: “I had an idea and I was clear that he could have a good impact today, and he has shown it.
“He has been a threat. He has created many chances, many situations where we could score, and I think that’s really good.
“He has had the best response to show that he deserves more, that he was prepared, and that’s what you want for a football player, so I’m very happy for him.
“He deserved to enjoy his game and he had a good connection with the crowd. He was really close to scoring that goal.”
Alonso was also pleased with Romeo Lavia, who completed 90 minutes for the second time in four days, after starting in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool.
The midfielder has had a long history of injury problems, and with Jordan Henderson missing out through illness, Alonso admitted there had been a risk in selecting him again.
“Romeo is feeling better, he’s feeling stronger, he’s feeling more confident to go with more minutes, with more load,” he said.
“Today he did it, playing the whole game not even 72 hours later. Sometimes the head is more important than the legs, and now his head is in a good place.”
On the game itself, Alonso felt Chelsea had improved after a first half in which United created the better chances.
“The first half was intense, with moments for both sides. United had the chances and we were close as well,” he said.
“We spoke at half-time about winning this game with the ball, and the improvement was with the ball.
“We were more comfortable and in better control, and normally when you feel better with the ball, you are better defending as well.”
