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

Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates to continue their winning start to the 2021-22 season in the Premier League.

Debutant Romelu Lukaku and Reece James scored apiece in the first-half for the Blues, who clinched another London derby.

It took just 15 minutes for Lukaku to fire the visitors in front on his second debut for the side, tapping home into an empty net after being played on by James.

The right-back then got on the scoresheet himself, rifling home an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box to double their advantage.

The Gunners, who had lost their opening game 2-0 to promoted side Brentford, found themselves trailing by the same margin again on the break.

However, there was no comeback in the second-half, as the reigning European champions continued to dominate, although the scoreline could've been more with a little more cutting edge.

Six points from six for Chelsea, while Arsenal remain pointless after two games with defending champions Manchester City up next.

Here are the player ratings:

---

Arsenal Player Ratings

Arsenal have lost both their opening games of the season without scoring for the first time in history!

Bernd Leno - 6/10

While there was nothing much he could do about either of Arsenal's goals, Leno's distribution left a lot to be desired too. However, the German salvaged himself a little with a fine stop to deny Lukaku at the end.

Cedric Soares - 5/10

Soares was at fault for the opening goal as he played Lukaku onside, but improved thereafter. However, the full-back was still miles off his best.

Rob Holding - 6.5/10

The centre-back misplaced a number of passes but showed courage in the face of Chelsea's onslaught. He blocked five shots and made three clearances, too. Not bad.

Pablo Mari - 6/10

Mari was blown away by Chelsea's high press as he often struggled against the likes of Lukaku and co. But he deserves credit for his fighting spirit. The Spaniard still won four ground duels, made three clearances and blocked four shots too.

Kieran Tierney - 4/10

His positioning in the light of both Chelsea goals was suspect as Tierney left plenty of gaps at the back. Not to say he was any more impressive at the other end. The Scotsman couldn't make a single accurate cross or lay a key pass either.

Albert Lokonga - 6.5/10

Lokonga improved from his forgetful debut in the last match, displaying his expansive passing range and a lot of confidence.

Granit Xhaka - 5/10

The Arsenal skipper laid two key passes in the match but there was little else to see from him as Chelsea had no problems getting around him in midfield.

Nicolas Pepe - 6/10

Pepe made an incredible run in the first-half while his set-piece deliveries were top-notch too. But overall, his attacking involvement was minimal.

Emile Smith-Rowe - 7/10

Adventerous, brave and hard-working - Smith-Rowe was among the more impressive players for Arsenal. With a little more cutting edge, he could tear defenses apart.

Bukayo Saka - 7/10

Much of Arsenal's offensive play stemmed from Saka, who created quite a few good chances from open play.

Gabriel Martinelli - 6/10

Strong on the ball and won all three of his ground duels, but Martinelli was subdued for the most part.

---

Substitutes

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 6.5/10

The Gabonese star brought a semblance of menace to Arsenal's desperately toothless attack.

Nuno Tavares - 6/10

The youngster offered a helping hand in the attack by pressing high.

Folarin Balogun - N/A

Balogun replaced Martinelli in the 79th minute but was a complete non-factor for the time he was on the pitch.

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.

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.

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.

---

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.