Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea: Player ratings as Romelu Lukaku guides the Blues to derby win on debut | Premier League 2021-22

Chelsea Player Ratings

Lukaku guided Chelsea past Arsenal with a goal in his first game back at the club

Edouard Mendy - 7.5/10

The Chelsea shot-stopper produced two important saves to keep out Smith-Rowe and Saka from distance and distributed the ball excellently too. Two clean sheets from two games.

Édouard Mendy's record for Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel took charge:🔵 25 games🔵 16 clean sheets🔵 14 goals concededIt's too easy. pic.twitter.com/0xtdsTrn2W

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) August 22, 2021

Cesar Azpilicueta - 7.5/10

Chelsea's skipper provided excellent defensive cover down the right and kept his cool during sustained periods of pressure from Arsenal. He completed 93% of his passes and completed three tackles too.

Andreas Christensen - 7/10

Christensen's ability to recover whenever Arsenal burst forward was sublime. He didn't get a pass wrong, completing 94% success, and read the game brilliantly too, making four clearances.

Antonio Rudiger - 7/10

Chelsea's rock in defense, Rudiger was at his usual self today, marking his opposite number excellently and commanding his area with a great degree of authority.

Reece James - 8/10

James set up Lukaku with a sublime pass and then got on the scoresheet himself with a peach of a strike from the edge of the box. The youngster looked dangerous going forward but his penchant for attack left a lot of space for Arsenal to exploit.

15’: Assist35’: GoalReece James doing it all at the Emirates 🔥 pic.twitter.com/siN7cQ5fGE

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 22, 2021

Jorginho - 7.5/10

The midfield maestro did what he does best - dictating the side's tempo and also protecting the back-four by reading the match with superb vision and showing awareness in tough moments.

Mateo Kovacic - 7.5/10

Kovacic didn't face much of a challenge going forward as he helped press high up and knitted passes together in attacking areas. He registered a 94% completion rate.

Marcos Alonso - 7.5/10

Alonso nullified Pepe completely in the game as he delivered a defensive masterclass, but he was equally dynamic going forward, laying five key passes in the game.

Mason Mount - 8/10

The 22-year-old was a huge menace for Arsenal's defense, constantly running between the lines with great poise and purpose. He laid out four key passes and created three big chances in the game, including one which resulted in James' goal.

Kai Havertz - 6.5/10

A relatively quiet game for Havertz today, who missed two big chances in the match and also failed to win all his ground duels bar one.

Romelu Lukaku - 8/10

The Belgian magician was the star attraction of the game and it took him just 15 minutes to make a mark, tapping home from close range to score on his second debut for Chelsea. He's now scored in his debut games for Inter Milan, Manchester United, Everton and West Brom. King of debuts.

⭐️ Man of the Match, @ChelseaFC’s Romelu Lukaku⚽️ Scored on 2nd Chelsea debut8 Shots - most in match2 On target - most in match11 Touches in opp. box - most in match pic.twitter.com/Nb0CLgyM2h

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) August 22, 2021

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Substitutes

N'Golo Kante - 7/10

Kante replaced Kovacic in the final 18 minutes and kept the juices flowing for Chelsea with his passing brilliance.

Hakim Ziyech - 6/10

The Moroccan wizard had over 10 minutes to make something happen but the game just breezed past him.

Timo Werner - N/A

Werner came on for just a minute to see the game off.