Aston Villa's Stiliyan Petrov taking inspiration from Fabrice Muamba as he fights leukaemia I would like to thank all of the people who have left messages of support. The response has been overwhelming and I appreciate it very much," Petrov said. This is a difficult time for my family and myself and I ask people to respect my privacy. With the help and love of my family, my team-mates, all of my friends in football, Aston Villa and all of the fans, I am sure I will beat this illness and I am determined to do this. I saw the picture released by Fabrice Muamba, my fellow player, and it has inspired me as has all of the support in the past 24 hours. For me, football will have to take a back seat for a while, but I'm here to support my team-mates today and I will continue to support them as I know they will support me. Thank you to everyone. The statement was read out just before Saturday's match to applause and chants of 'There's only one Stiliyan Petrov' from all sections of the support. Both sets of players wore shirts to show their support in the warm-up. Villa's players wore shirts reading 'Support Stan' while the message on the Chelsea shirts read, 'Our thoughts are with you'. Villa fans stood and applauded during the 19th minute of the match, in reference to the fact Petrov wears the No 19 shirt. Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo praised the professionalism of his players as they put to one side the emotion surrounding Petrov to triumph 4-2 at Villa Park. Di Matteo said: "Our players wore the T-shirts saying 'we support you' before the game and we really feel for the players and the person as well. It was an emotional day. You can see how the football community comes together at these times. Referring to Muamba, Di Matteo added: "Lately we've had some terrible news about a couple of Premier League players but it is great to see how everyone gives their support. But once the game starts you have to focus on your task and game plan - and we did that. Petrov spoke to his team-mates in the dressing room before the game and watched proceedings from an executive box with his family. Villa manager Alex McLeish said: "It was great to see him and his presence inspired a lot of people. He came on and shook everyone's hands and the boys were not sure whether to cry or hug him. Rangers manager Ally McCoist sent the club's best wishes to Petrov, a former player of Old Firm rivals Celtic. McCoist said: "On behalf of everybody at the football club - every member of staff and every supporter - we wish Stiliyan Petrov all the very best in his fight for a more important thing than anything and that's his health. He was a fantastic Old Firm player and he is a top player and we wish him all the best. Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has backed the mental strength of Petrov to help him conquer his illness. O'Neill managed Petrov when he took charge of Celtic and then made him his first signing when he became Aston Villa boss in 2006. He said: "I am obviously devastated to hear the news. I spoke to Stiliyan. He is really upbeat, he is going to fight it. He will start treatment immediately. Obviously I have known him since he was 19. I didn't bring him to Celtic, he was there. He learned the language very quickly. He couldn't speak a word of English when he arrived from Bulgaria. I have the utmost regard for him as a footballer and a person. He is really strong mentally and if anyone can fight it, he will fight it.