Romelu Lukaku enjoys dream debut as Chelsea demolish clueless Arsenal

Didier Drogba, perhaps, provided the best summary after Sunday’s London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. The Blues legend tweeted: "Arsenal vs Chelsea, same old story.”

Indeed, almost everyone knew what the story was going to be ahead of the game. A close look at the squads of both teams tells the enormous gulf in quality between the two sides.

Chelsea boast a team that is ready to challenge for the Premier League title, while Arsenal are, at best, only fit to challenge for a top-six or top-eight spot. That was reflected in Sunday’s encounter, which turned out to be a match between boys and men.

The Blues were in command throughout the game, and deservedly claimed a 2-0 win at the Emirates.

Job done! 👌 pic.twitter.com/GRJCJHqIoj

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2021

---

Dream second debut for Romelu Lukaku

A lot of attention was on Romelu Lukaku as he made his second Chelsea debut against the Gunners. The £98-million striker had been talking big, and he walked the talk against Arsenal.

It took just 15 minutes for Lukaku to make a mark in his second stint at the club, as he ghosted behind the Arsenal defence to tap home a Reece James cross.

Apart from his goal, the 28-year-old was also heavily involved in Chelsea’s second, allowing the ball to flow into the path of Mason Mount, who then located James to slot the ball past the onrushing Arsenal custodian Bernd Leno.

It was a dream debut for Lukaku, and he could only get better from here. The Belgian has trained with his new teammates for just a week, but it’s clear they will enjoy playing with him.

Romelu Lukaku (4) had twice as many shots as the entire Arsenal side combined in the first half (2). He also had the same amount of shots on target (1) and scored more goals. 😅 pic.twitter.com/kobjowwD3c

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 22, 2021

---

Romelu Lukaku offers Chelsea a new dimension

Chelsea’s game plan against Arsenal had Lukaku at the centre of everything. His link-up play was so impressive that it freed up Mason Mount and Kai Havertz on either flank.

The Blues used to be predictable, but now they have a proper centre-forward in Lukaku, who offers the team a different dimension against opponents.

“Romelu’s a very smart guy and a very democratic leader,” Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said after the victory over Arsenal, as quoted by the Guardian. “He was dangerous throughout. There’s room for improvement. and we need to work on details. but it was a very good debut. He linked up very well with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz."

“I certainly think that nobody likes to play against him; everyone is aware of his physicality and his link-up play and ability to attack the space. He gives another dimension to our game.”

A goal and a win on Lukaku’s debut is exactly what he wanted. It could be the beginning of many more to come in the Blues shirt.