Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points as Romelu Lukaku Downs Hapless Gunners With Debut Goal
Chelsea FC made its two wins from two as they eased past London rivals Arsenal, whose own struggles show no sign of ending, as Romelu Lukaku marked his debut with a goal
Chelsea made light work of a depleted Arsenal side to deepen the Gunners’ woes and underlined their own title credentials.
Much is expected of Thomas Tuchel’s Blues side as they look to end a five-year wait for the Premier League.
Record signing Romelu Lukaku needed just a quarter of an hour to show why he cost almost £100m as he marked his second debut for the club with a simple goal.
Arsenal, who were without Alexandre Lacazette and Ben White, struggled to cope with the intensity of their opponents.
Reece James’ excellent finish made it 2-0 at the break with the Blues yet to push out of second gear.
Chelsea managed the game in the second 45, the hosts enjoying a brief moment or two, but improvements were minimal with a staggering gulf in quality between the two teams.
When teams make winning Premier League games look really, really simple it’s time to take note.
Liverpool made light work, for the most part, of Burnley on Saturday, but Chelsea made seeing off Arsenal look even easier.
They were heavy favourites going into the game and probably couldn’t have played their capital rivals at a better moment.
But with Lukaku’s second coming bolstering an already star-studded side the Blues are looking irresistible.
On the evidence before us, they look set to pick up wins with minimal fuss and Pep Guardiola will certainly be taking note.
When you bring N’Golo Kante off the bench for the final 20, you know you’re in a good place.
2 From bad to worse
It never seems to rain at Arsenal, it just pours.
As they went 2-0 down at Brentford nine days ago attention quickly turned to this fixture at the Emirates.
You know things are bad when you’re losing to a newly promoted side but people anticipate things getting even worse, but that is exactly what was being predicted.
That forecast was not wrong and you feared the worse when James put Chelsea 2-0 up after 35 minutes and the depleted hosts were booed off at the interval.
New signings have done little to lift the mood and there must be concerns that Arsenal’s eighth-place finish last term might be tough to match.
Reece James was quick to fire home Chelsea’s second goal.
3 Lukaku set to run riot
It was inevitable, wasn’t it?
Lukaku completed his return to Stamford Bridge this summer and it says everything that no one has questioned the £97.5m fees.
The Belgian is a proven goalscorer in England’s top flight and has got even better during his two years at Inter Milan.
Few things are guaranteed in football, but the 28-year-old scoring an absolute hat full over the next few years is pretty close.
His goal after 15 minutes is the sort of strike he will score again and again. Displaying Heeness and movement, he nonchalantly waltzed using his physicality, game awareness, and movement into the Arsenal box before tapping into an empty net.
Only a sensational Bernd Leno save denied him a second, but this was a perfect striker’s performance
4 Tierney concerns
Because Arteta doesn’t have enough personnel issues to be worrying about.
Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith Rowe were probably the only two bright sparks on what was a forgettable and wet afternoon for anyone connected with Arsenal.
At one point in the second half, the Scot closed down the Chelsea goalkeeper as he attempted to regain possession. The moment resulted in the loudest cheer of the day from the home fans.
That highlights their affection for Tierney, but also where the team currently find themselves.
The left-back has suffered from injuries during his Arsenal career and any time out would be a blow.
Mikel Arteta watched on as his team were brushed aside
5 Arteta calls for context
“I think sometimes you have to be a little bit fair with the circumstances.”
The Arsenal boss clearly felt the need to defend his heavily criticised team before their clash at the Emirates.
Chelsea were firm favourites to pick up three points in north London, so perhaps Arteta was playing the long game.
The loss on opening night did little to raise spirits in and around the club, but you cannot look past the selection issues facing the Gunners.
A host of first-team stars have been absent for their two games thus far, and Arsenal is hardly blessed with a deep squad.
They say you’re never as bad – or as good – as they say. Maybe there’s something in that for Arteta and his players.
