With Romelu Lukaku set to make his second debut for Chelsea, it was almost written in the stars that he would play a pivotal role in Sunday’s encounter with Arsenal and as far as first appearances (in this case, second time around) go, they will not end up much better than the Belgian’s offering.
Because in a game which admittedly saw Arsenal look comfortable in the first quarter of an hour, there was something of a mood change and with the Emirates being known as a ground which can be rather toxic, the sound of disgruntled supporters had once again returned.
The first full house in the red half of North London for nearly 18 months and one that saw Chelsea draw first blood and once the clash of two of the capital’s biggest clubs entered the 15th minute, that is when the mood turned rather sour.
At that point, it was Lukaku who began to truly show his worth and after being involved in a neat interchange, possession would eventually find itself to the right of the field and on the foot of Reece James.
With the England international being afforded plenty of space, Lukaku’s earlier work paid dividends and with a teasing ball being played across the penalty area, all that was left for the former Inter forward to do, was subsequently prod the ball into an empty net.
Chelsea ahead and Arsenal’s heads started to drop and for a team that looked largely inexperienced, it would not be unfair to say that each of the visitors’ bench could have walked straight into the hosts’ starting eleven.
Such were the weaknesses that were on show for Arsenal, it was a sense of men versus boys at times and this was also evident in the build-up for Chelsea’s second, as this time it was a case of provider turned scorer.
A succession of intricate passes cut through the Arsenal lines and with James once again being afforded acres of space in the same area of the field, this time his decision to shoot instead of pass was handsomely rewarded.
Two-nil down before the break and at this point Chelsea were largely toying with their opponents. Opponents who failed to land anything in the way of a sparring blow within the first 45 minutes of the game.
Arsenal did have one chance of note after the interval, as defender Rob Holding could and arguably should have scored with a header. Then again, even if that had nestled into the Chelsea goal, it would have served as nothing more than mere consolation.
While down the other end of the field, Lukaku was a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side and were it not for the acrobatics of Bernd Leno, Chelsea would have found themselves with three goals to go alongside three points.
Perhaps Leno knew that he had to deliver something after the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United and even though the former Blade is part of a £130m summer spend, you get the feeling the Gunners still need to spend a considerable amount more before the end of the month.
