Blues boss Gunners
A GOAL by Romelu Lukaku on his second Chelsea debut and a strike by defender Reece James earned the Blues a 2-0 win at London rivals Arsenal yesterday, their second victory in as many games at the start of the Premier League season.
Lukaku needed only 15 minutes to get off the mark for the Blues, tapping in a cross played into his path by James.
The wing-back scored Chelsea’s second goal himself 20 minutes later, taking his time to fire past goalkeeper Bernd Leno after being found in acres of space by Mason Mount.
Lukaku, who never scored a league goal for the Blues in his first spell, showed why Chelsea were prepared to break their spending record to bring him back to the club seven years after he left London.
The Belgian provided the Blues with the kind of muscular presence in attack they have lacked since the departure of Diego Costa in 2017, both when running at Arsenal's defence and holding the ball up with his back to goal.
Only a reflex save by Leno denied him a second goal when the German palmed Lukaku’s point-blank header onto the bar with 15 minutes to play.
Arsenal, lacking several key players through injury and illness, rarely threatened to disrupt Thomas Tuchel’s welldrilled side, who kept another of their trademark clean sheets and could afford to start with star names such as N’Golo Kante, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech on the bench.
Elsewhere, Harry Kane came off the bench to make his first Tottenham Hotspur appearance of the season as Dele Alli’s penalty earned coach Nuno Espirito Santo a 1-0 win on his return to his former club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League yesterday.
Kane, who has been linked with a move to champions Manchester City during the transfer window, came on in the second half and missed a great chance to immediately get on the scoresheet.
Alli’s ninth-minute penalty, his first league goal since March 2020, was enough for Spurs to earn the win, however, as Nuno’s first trip back to the club he brought up to the Premier League during a four-year spell from 2017 ended well.
The result means Spurs have won two from two so far this season, both by a 1-0 scoreline.
“We had to fight and earn the three points,” Alli said. “We have to put in a solid performance away from home and hit them on the counter. We knew they’d have chances, it’s how you deal with that.
“My game has been a little deeper this season, allows me to get in the box later which is what I like to do. I’m happy to get the goal and help the team.”
Wolves and new coach Bruno Lage remain without a point after two defeats from their opening two league matches.
All eyes were on Kane as he took his place on the bench ahead of kick-off. He had been left out of the squad for Spurs’ season-opening win over City last weekend, and did not travel to Portugal for his side’s Europa Conference League play-off on Thursday.
But Kane was quickly forgotten as Alli stroked his side in front. The midfielder struggled to hold down a regular first-team spot under previous coach Jose Mourinho but he is very much in Nuno’s plans, winning the penalty before getting up to convert it.
Meanwhile, a second-half goal by Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood cancelled out an own goal from teammate Fred to earn a 1-1 draw at Southampton.