“He gives something to our game that we did not have” – Player ratings as Lukaku and Chelsea dismantle Arsenal

In an impressive evening of football, Chelsea dominated Arsenal 0-2 at the Emirates.
The Blues made a huge statement by hammering the Gunners, stating their title intentions plainly for all to see.
Here’s how the players rated at the Emirates:
18+, UK only. Deposit and place a minimum £10 cash bet at single or accumulated odds of 1/1 or greater and we will give you 1 x £5 in free bets plus an extra 3 x £5 Free Bets the following day. Applies to first cash bet only. Free bets credited as 4 x £5 bets to use on 3x Any sport & 1x Virtuals. Cashed Out, Void or Draw No Bet wagers do not qualify for this promotion. 1 x £5 Free Bets are credited upon qualifying first bet settlement, other free bets credited by midday the day after your first bet settles. 7-day free bet expiry. Available once per customer. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion. Full T&C’s apply.
18+ only. Use code BET30. New Players Only. Minimum stake $/€/£ 10, minimum odds1.5, stake not returned.1X wagering the winnings from the free bet. Wagering occurs from real balance first. Wagering requirement is calculated on bonus bets only, wagering starts from real funds. Free bet is valid for 7 Days from issue. Max conversion: $/€/£ 200. Excluded Skrill deposits. Withdrawal requests voids all active/pending bonuses. Full Terms Apply
18+ only. £10 min. deposit required. 1 x £10 qualifying bet required. Qualifying bet must be placed on selection with min. odds of 1.8 (4/5). 4 x £5 Free Bets will be credited once the qualifying bet has been settled. 1 x Free Bet valid for any Football Match Result market. 1 x Free Bet valid on any Football Correct Score market. 1 x Free Bet valid on any Horse Racing market. 1 x Free Bet valid on any Tennis market. Free Bets valid for 7 days once credited. T&Cs apply.
Arsenal
Bernd Leno – 6- Had no chance with either Chelsea goal. Pulled off a miracle save to deny Lukaku late in the game.
Cedric – 6 – Competed well against the Chelsea attack. Fiesty in the tackle but was very weak on the second Chelsea goal as he allowed Havertz and Alonso to escape when they should have been locked down. Didn’t offer much in attack.
Rob Holding – 7 – Generally solid but had no help. Should have scored on the hour.
Pablo Mari – 4 – Ritually humiliated by Romelu Lukaku.
Kieran Tierney – 6 – An absolute dynamo in attack but left gaping holes behind him and those holes were exploited on both Chelsea goals. Given his importance to the attack, perhaps this is on Arteta to arrange proper cover, but it was a bad look for Tierney.
Arsenal have lost their opening two games of a league season for only the third time in the Premier League era:
❌ 1992/93
❌ 2018/19
❌ 2021/22A worrying start to the season. pic.twitter.com/4JWQIquu8i
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 22, 2021
Albert Lokonga – 7 – Battled to regain possession and then advanced the ball intelligently too. One of Arsenal’s few bright spots.
Granit Xhaka – 5 – A bit of a problem in defence, but pushed up and got Arsenal moving forward.
Nicolas Pepe – 6 – Looked really bright in possession but just couldn’t make anything happen
Emile Smith-Rowe – 7 – Arsenal’s best and brightest attacking threat (again). A constant menace with his movement and ambition that actually kept the Chelsea defence on their toes.
Bukayo Saka – 6 – Tried his best but wasn’t 100% fit and thus his greatest contributions were drawing fouls. Admittedly he did that well and could have had a couple of penalties on a different day with a different official.
Gabriel Martinelli – 5 – Didn’t really excel on his big chance starting centrally.
Substitutes:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (for Saka 61′) – 5 – Had one great run but was otherwise underserviced.
Nuno Tavares (for Tierney 66′) – 5 – Fared better than Tierney defensively but wasn’t as active in attack.
Folarin Balogun (for Martinelli ) – X
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy – 7 – Really solid when called on, especially a bit of sweeping in the second-half.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8 – A ferocious performance from Chelsea’s captain, including an incredible block that preserved Chelsea’s clean sheet.
Andreas Christensen – 7 – Solid when tested but got caught out on that second-half Aubameyang chance.
Antonio Rudiger – 8 – Bullied everyone as per usual. Too solid.
Reece James – 8 – An incredible opening half where he tortured Arsenal’s bizarrely narrow defence. Set-up the opener well and scored the second with even more panache. Worked hard defensively too albeit he was lucky to not concede a penalty for a foul on Bukayo Saka.
Reece James is just the second Chelsea player to score and assist away from home against Arsenal in the Premier League, after Juan Mata.
So impressive going forward today. 👏 pic.twitter.com/edkGG8RsDE
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 22, 2021
Mateo Kovacic – 7 – Worked away in midfield. Was superior to his opponents but that wasn’t too hard.
Jorginho – 7 – Kept things ticking over nicely for the Blues, despite his ridiculous hair.
Marcos Alonso – 7 – Great work in the lead-up to Chelsea’s second goal and created a game-high 5 chances.
Mason Mount – 7 – Quietly effective. Nice assist for the second goal and just good play all-around.
Kai Havertz – 7 – Not his most impressive display but was too good for Arsenal. His movement off and on the ball was nice and his work in the lead-up to Chelsea’s second goal was quietly brilliant. Should have scored a third when put clean through late on.
Romelu Lukaku – 9 – A sensational return to the Premier League for Romelu Lukaku. Bullied the Arsenal defence to score the opening goal, pulled them all out of position and executed a flawless dummy for the second goal, and then just tortured the Gunners all evening long, being denied a second goal by a miracle save from Leno.
Romelu Lukaku’s game by numbers vs. Arsenal:
95% pass accuracy
43 touches
11 touches in opp. box (most)
8 shots (most)
8 duels won (most)
2 shots on target
2 take-ons
2 fouls won
1 big chance created
1 goalAnother debut goal for Big Rom. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/kgo8cTyetz
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 22, 2021
“He gives something to our game that we did not have,” said Thomas Tuchel post-match, and he’s right which is terrifying given that Chelsea won the Champions League without Lukaku. The Belgian’s all-around play makes him such a dangerous prospect, e.g. he played a deft pass to put a late chance on a plate for Havertz (only for him to miss). Just utterly outrageous stuff. It’s only been one game but Lukaku already looks every inch a striker that can fire the Blues to the Premier League crown.
Substitutes:
N’Golo Kanté (for Kovacic 72′) – 7 – Came on and was instantly winning the ball back all over the place.
Hakim Ziyech (for Mount 82′) – 5 – Really amazing with his movement but his use of the ball was surprisingly poor.
Timo Werner (for Havertz 90′) – n/a – Came on late.
Black Lives Matter: Read more about the cause footballers are taking the knee for