Sunday 22nd August 2021
Tuchel’s “missing piece of the puzzle”
Chelsea’s record man makes the dream start
Thomas Tuchel can be happy: Romelu Lukaku is a factor in the Champions League winner’s game just a few days after his engagement. The Belgian scores and the German coach can celebrate the arrival of his “missing piece of the puzzle”.
New signing Romelu Lukaku made a perfect debut in his first game after returning to Chelsea. Almost exactly eight years after his last appearance for the Blues, the Belgian star striker took the lead in a 2-0 (2-0) defeat at Arsenal after a quarter of an hour. In addition to Lukaku (15th minute), Reece James (35th) scored a goal for the Champions League winner from West London, who dominated the game at local rivals Arsenal in the north of the city for long periods and earned his second win in the second Premier League game imported.
Lukaku almost scored another goal in the closing stages, but Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno steered his well-placed header against the crossbar. The German international Kai Havertz had already been happy about the commitment of the brawny attacker who came from Inter Milan last week. “Romelu is a great striker,” said Havertz. “He’s a reinforcement for every club in the world, I’m happy when I can serve him with passports.”
Havertz was not involved in the goal of the new teammate this time: Lukaku himself had initiated the move that later led to the goal and completed the attack after a pass from Reece James from close range into the empty goal. Havertz ‘Dfb colleague Timo Werner only came on a short assignment in the final minutes, but was still celebrated with loud chants by the guest fans.
Lukaku had already been under contract with Chelsea from 2011 to 2014, but could not prevail at the time and had been awarded several times before leaving the club – without a goal in the Premier League. This summer he returned to London from Italian champions Inter Milan for around 115 million euros. Chelsea coach Tuchel, who had complained about the ineffectiveness of his team last season, described the Belgian as “the missing piece of the puzzle”.
For Arsenal, where Leno showed a strong performance, the false start to the new season is perfect: The Londoners, from whom central defender Ben White was absent due to a Covid disease, has already lost more London derbies this season than last – and that after only two games. It’s only the third time Arsenal have lost their first two Premier League games in one season. At the start of the season, the former champions lost 2-0 against newly promoted Brentford FC.
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