It was supposed to be a big London derby between two quality teams, but instead, we’ve gotten a disappointingly one-sided match as Chelsea thoroughly outclassed Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.Romelu Lukaku made his second Chelsea start exactly 3,388 days since his first for the Blues. It was his on his 19th birthday that day in May 2012 as he ran out in a match against Blackburn Rovers. You almost feel like his first start was a birthday present. But in 2021, it’s his presence in this Blues side that’s a real gift. The powerful Belgian needed only 15 minutes to get into the scoring charts as he finished off from a pinpoint low cross from Reese James against hapless Gunners defence.ROMELU LUKAKU SCORES ON HIS CHELSEA RETURN IN THE LONDON DERBY🔥 pic.twitter.com/I9FdS2xgc2— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 22, 2021 Arsenal defenders, notably Pablo Mari, had a torrid time against Lukaku’s sheer physicality. It was painfully obvious for any Gunner that a backline consisting of Soares, Holding, Mari and Tierney is not good enough to compete with their Champions League-winning opponents – plus Lukaku.Reese James turned from provider to scorer just after half an hour of play after being played in by Mason Mount.The nerves were already starting to get to Rob Holding and his teammates with less than a half being played in front of their fans. Last Friday’s humbling defeat at Premier League new boys Brentford wasn’t a particularly pleasant watch for the Gunners and the quick collapse against the Blues did little to inspire confidence for the rest of the season.Espirito Santo leads Spurs to win against his old team as United fail to beat a stubborn Southampton sideThe home side improved after the break and saw Bukayo Saka force Chelsea’s French goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into an acrobatic stop on 53 minutes. Under-pressure coach Mikel Arteta sent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on after an hour of play as the former Borussia Dortmund man nears full fitness. His introduction was welcomed by Arsenal’s lone striker Gabriel Martinelli who had no chance in battling a tough Chelsea defence all by his own.On the other end, that man Lukaku was determined to extend his team’s lead and he thought he’d found the net with a well-executed header from around seven meters out, but goalkeeper Bernd Leno produced a world-class save with around 15 minutes left to salvage his side’s slender hopes of avoiding defeat.But despite not conceding in the second half, the damage has already been done. A commanding 2-0 lead have Chelsea enough confidence and calmness to pass the ball around with conviction and never let the Gunners come close to forcing any late drama.1992 – Arsenal will end a day in the relegation zone with more than one game of the season played for the first time since August 1992. Reset. pic.twitter.com/6PNSCAmaNm— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 22, 2021 That’s two defeats in two opening Premier League fixtures for Arsenal. Their next game? A trip to Manchester City.Keep following Mozzart Sport Kenya to catch our match ratings!PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 2SaturdayLiverpool – Burnley 2-0 (1-0)/Jota 18, Mane 69/Aston Villa – Newcastle 2-0 (1-0)/Ings 45+3, El Ghazi 62 pen/Manchester City – Norwich City 5-0 (2-0)/Krul og 7, Grealish 22, Laporte 64, Sterling 71, Mahrez 84/Crystal Palace – Brentford 0-0Leeds – Everton 2-2 (1-1)/Klich 41, Raphinha 72 – Calvert-Lewin 27 pen, Gray 50/Sunday Southampton – Manchester United 1-1 (1-0)/Fred 30 og – Greenwood 55/Wolverhampton – Tottenham 0-1 (0-1)/Alli 9 pen/Arsenal – Chelsea 0-2 (0-2)/Lukaku 15, James 35/Monday22:00 (2.65) West Ham (3.25) Leicester (2.70)
