Romelu Lukaku returned to the Premier League with a bang as he inspired Chelsea to an outstanding 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. On the day he made his second debut for Chelsea, it took the $135 million player just 15 minutes to open his account, holding the ball up smartly and spinning into space to meet Reece James' cutback.
Lukaku's mere presence seemed to provoke panic in the Arsenal backline, which had been dragged right across the pitch when James darted in on the right corner of the box to thump a second goal into the net.
Though Arsenal struggled to establish themselves for most of the first half there were flashes, many of them inspired by Emile Smith Rowe. Bukayo Saka was denied a penalty when Reece James appeared to have hold of him whilst early in the second half Rob Holding flicked an unmarked header wide from six yards out.
Still Lukaku looked like he might score whenever the ball came his way and it took a stunning 77th-minute save from Bernd Leno to deny him a second. The win gives Chelsea two wins in as many tries on the young season, while Arsenal still sit at zero points through two games.
Lukaku could scarcely have wished for a better start to his second spell in English football, nor for more hospitable opponents. His goal typified every excellent trait that makes him such an awkward player to deal with. Just outside the box the Belgian posted up Pablo Mari, holding possession before playing the ball off to Mateo Kovacic and immediately spinning him.
Mari was too slow in his reaction, too easily overawed as he tumbled to the ground. All James had to do was roll the ball across the face of goal for Lukaku, up and running 15 minutes into his second spell with Chelsea.
Where was Kieran Tierney, the left back who ought to have been defending the flank? He seemed to be so preoccupied with the likelihood of Lukaku beating Mari that he moved infield unnecessarily. With Bukayo Saka curiously reluctant to track back almost half the right flank was left unguarded. It was from there that both first-half goals came.
Lukaku was in his opponents' heads. Having failed to get any joy in physical duels with him and knowing he lacked the pace to drop off and let him run, Mari opted to deal with his man by foul means instead. The Spaniard might have felt he was imposing himself on his man, all he was actually doing was adding the high wire element of a yellow card to his doomed battle. To his credit Mari improved notably in the second half, finding something approximating a sweet spot where he was neither too close nor too far. The damage was long since done though.
Still Mari was not alone in allowing his game to be warped by Chelsea's new signing. For the second Xhaka was so desperate to stop the ball going to Lukaku that he dived in and missed the tackle. Tierney was both waiting for the Chelsea No. 9 and distracted by Mason Mount, whose positioning infield kept asking awkward questions of the Arsenal left back. With Saka nowhere to be seen the flank was open for James, whose thunderous drive across the face of goal was far beyond Leno.
If this game was a thudding reminder of the current gap between the European champions and the side who once vied with them for silverware and the status of London's top dogs, there were at least the odd scintillas of long-term optimism for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
This summer has seen a conscious attempt to build a squad that will peak together in several years. The average age of their five new recruits is 22 whilst Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith Rowe were both handed lucrative new deals.
As had been the case in defeat to Brentford last week, the latter of those two was among Arsenal's best players. Whenever the ball came his way he was immediately looking to drive at the Chelsea defense, drawing players and either beating them with a dribble or laying off to a teammate who he had forged space for. On more than one occasion he tested Edouard Mendy and company, not least when he found space in the box midway through the second half, drawing a superb recovering tackle from Cesar Azpilicueta. The new No. 10 shirt he was handed in the summer looks a fitting burden for him.
Smith Rowe was not alone if offering long-term hope for Arsenal. Sambi Lokonga has taken to the Premier League with remarkable speed for a 21-year-old from Belgium. From the outset against Chelsea he showed no sign that the test of facing up against Jorginho and Kovacic in the engine room. His passing range was exceptional, notably more progressive than midfield rivals Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny. After 75 minutes only center back Holding had made more forward passes than the youngster.
Though Bukayo Saka was not at his best he had moments of real quality whilst Gabriel Martinelli would still be pressing the Chelsea center backs on Tuesday afternoon if he hadn't been substituted. Add Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Gabriel to this side and you can see a blueprint for future success. The question is whether Arsenal fans will be inclined to keep the patience with Arteta after two straight seasons in which they finished eighth. His players seem to be fighting for him – they did not roll over in the second half and the game might have gone differently had Holding flicked his header but he would be the first to acknowledge that if supporters lose faith his project will not last much longer.
Chelsea build down the right and drag the Arsenal defense in that direction. Tierney, whose positioning was questionable for the first, is nowhere near James as he picks the ball up on the right corner of the box. A thumping drive across goal and Chelsea lead 2-0. This could get very bleak.
This has really been a game to emphasise the gulf in talent depth between these two sides. Hakim Ziyech, once a star of the Ajax team that reached the 2019 Champions League semis, has come on and looked impudent and elegant off the right. When Martinelli could no longer continue Arsenal brought on Folarin Balogun, a teenager who struggled greatly against Brentford.
As if it couldn't get worse for Arsenal and their fans, Chelsea are bringing on one of the best players in the world. There has been a bit of pressure on the Blues defense this half. You suspect N'Golo Kante might ease that as he replaces Kovacic.
Now that was very, very close indeed. One of Arsenal's corners finally pays off, a looping cross to the back that Mari flicks back across towards Holding. It's a near free header but he can't direct the ball inside the post.
Having booed their players off at half time the Emirates faithful are altogether happier with the energy and high pressing that their side is showing early in the second half. Tierney chases the ball right the way up to Mendy in the Chelsea goal, Smith Rowe is ghosting menacingly around the final third and Saka has just seen a shot well saved after a deflection outside the box. A goal soon and Arsenal might have hope in this game.
What a return to the Premier League for Lukaku. He has terrified the Arsenal defense so far, it's not just that Mari can't deal with him but that his teammates know that and they are all leaving space elsewhere to preemptively cover for the Spaniard.
To make matters worse for Arsenal, they now have both their center backs on yellow cards for moments of hot headedness. A few minutes earlier Mari dived through the back of Lukaku on halfway, trying to make a statement but doing little more than showing how much he has been shook by his opponent. Then Holding dives in at knee height in an attempt to stop Marcos Alonso from clearing a corner. It's another one of those fouls that you really don't need to make at this sort of moment.
