Xabi Alonso praised Lavia's excellent display in Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Manchester United, saying the midfielder has grown in confidence and form over the past few weeks.
Xabi Alonso was full of praise for the player. Lavia's influence has been growing recently, after injury problems hampered him since he joined Chelsea.
"It was a top performance. What I've seen over the last three weeks is a Lavia in great form. He feels good, and he feels confident," said Xabi Alonso.
"From a midfielder's perspective, his performance was very complete. He did a lot of excellent things, and I'm happy for him. He deserves great credit."
Lavia played an important part in Chelsea's first goal against Manchester United. He won the ball back in midfield and passed it to Morgan Rogers, who drove forward and calmly chipped it over Senne Lammens to score.
It was just one of many impressive moments from the Belgian, whose composure on the ball and ability to link defense and attack have caught the head coach's attention.
"He did a lot of things right. He has been connecting the defenders and the attackers, he can change the tempo of the game, he made many good decisions, and he played with great energy and aggression.
"So I think, not just in this game but over the last two or three weeks, he has been playing very well, and I am very happy for him."
Xabi Alonso was also pleased that Lavia played a full 90 minutes for the second game in a row. He also played the entire Carabao Cup match against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.
With Henderson out through illness, Lavia continued to partner Caicedo, and he showed no signs of fatigue as Chelsea took control of the game after halftime.
Xabi Alonso believes Lavia's increased confidence is key to his ability to cope with the demands of playing consecutive matches.
"We knew Henderson wasn't feeling well, and we also knew that Lavia was feeling better, stronger and more confident, able to play more minutes and handle a greater workload.
"He went from playing a full game at Anfield to playing against Manchester United with that kind of energy less than 72 hours later. Sometimes the head is more important than the legs, and right now his mind is in a very good place."
For Lavia, this is another positive step. Chelsea hope to carry the momentum from Saturday's win forward, and his performance has given Xabi Alonso plenty of encouragement.