Hello and welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the Arsenal vs Chelsea Premier League fixture played at the Emirates Stadium in London.
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MATCH REPORT: Chelsea beats Arsenal 2-0 in North West London derby, Lukaku scores on debut
No goals in the second half but a dominating performance by Chelsea overall as it clinches a comfortable win over London rival Arsenal courtesy of goals by Romelu Lukaku and Reece James.
The injection of attacking prowess Lukaku has brought will be crucial for Chelsea as it has a tough run of games ahead with the Blues playing Liverpool next weekend.
For Arteta, it is back to the drawing board after two losses in the first two games. Arsenal ends the day in the relegation zone.
Stay tuned for the match report!!!
FULL-TIME!! ARSENAL 0-2 CHELSEA (Lukaku 15', James 35')
90+2'- What a match it has been for Romelu Lukaku. Back in the Chelsea shirt after almost a decade and putting in a great performance.
THREE ADDITIONAL MINUTES!!
90' SUB- Timo Werner replaces Kai Havertz.
88' SHOT- Ziyech with a shot which takes a deflection and goes for out a Chelsea corner. He chose to go solo depite having options around him.
Leno does well to come out and punch the ball to safety.
87' CHANCE- Havertz with a chance to triple Chelsea's lead. He finds himself one-on-one with Leno but the German keeper holds his ground.
85' Ziyech looking to make an impact on the bench. He is operating from the right flank and is attempting his trademark curlers after cutting-in but the Arsenal defence doing well to intercept his shot.
82' SUB- Hakim Ziyech replaces Mason Mount. He leaves the pitch with an assist.
82' Nice skill by Lukaku to get the better of Mari. The Belgian slipped a great ball in for Mount, who manages to get a toe to it which prompts Leno to clear the ball under pressure from Havertz.
79' SUB- Folarin Balogun replaces Gabriel Martinelli.
77' A MONSTER SAVE BY LENO- Wow that was a monumental save by Arsenal keeper Leno. Mount sends in a wonderful ball, which finds Lukaku. The Belgian with a powerful header from close-range but the German keeper gets a glove to it and the ball comes off the underside of the crossbar.
73' INJURY- Reece James comes off worse in a 50-50 and hits the deck hard. Chelsea medics tend to him.
Update: He is sitting up and looks fine. He will continue to play.
72' SUB- Mateo Kovacic replaced by N'Golo Kante. A great performance by the Croatian today.
70' Good defending by Azpilicueta- A great ball in by Pepe and Smith Rowe is ready to pull the trigger but Azpilicueta gets across quickly and makes the block.
68' SHOT- Kovacic takes a shot on the volley from around 20 yards but it sails way above the crossbar.
67' BOOKING- Lukaku makes use of his hold up play to draw a foul from Lokonga, who sees yellow. Belgian youth vs Belgian experience there. Experience gets the better of youth in this instance.
66' SUB- Nuno Tavares makes his home debut by replacing Kieran Tierney.
64' Sweeper Keeper- Alert goalkeeping by Mendy. Lokonga nicked a loose ball from Chelsea in midfield and played a quick ball to Aubameyang behind Chistensen. However, Mendy ventured out and cleared the ball before the Gabon international could reach it.
63' SHOT- Aubameyang tries to make an instant impact. A good run by Martinelli and the ball eventually drops to Aubameyang, who takes the shot. Mendy saves.
61' SUB- Bukayo Saka replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It was a meek performance by the English youngster today.
59' CHANCE- A great chance to pull one back from an Arsenal corner. After the ball was swung in beautifully by Pepe, Mari squared the ball back to Holding, who cannot keep his header on target.
57' SHOT- Mount takes a shot from distance after a pass from Lukaku but his shot kept moving away from goal.
(We might see more of this as the pitch keeps getting wetter due to the incessant rain in London right now)
55' Nice attack from Chelsea, starting with a Kovacic dink to Havertz in his own half. It ended with Azpilicueta's cross into the box, which intended to find Lukaku, but Cedric intercepted the ball and sent it out for a corner.
52' SAVE- That was a tricky one for Mendy. Arsenal's corner is cleared out to Saka, who takes a powerful shot. It takes a deflection and Mendy had to adjust his posture to make the save.
52' Smith-Rowe attempts to put one into the box but Rudiger sends it out with a diving header. Arsenal corner.
50' BLOCK- Lukaku tries to spin Mari and take a shot at goal but the defender gets tight and makes a block.
49' Lukaku, the focal point of most Chelsea attacks- his hold up play has been exquisite.
47' Chelsea starting the second half like it ended the first. Tuchel's side on the front foot right from the get-go. Arsenal trying to keep the Blue shirts away from around its penalty area.
SECOND-HALF BEGINS!!!
No question marks on the dominant team in the first half. Chelsea has displayed an attacking masterclass over its London rivals.
Lukaku opened the proceedings with his 15th-minute goal, his first for Chelsea.
A flurry of attacks followed and it was at the 35-minute mark that Reece James, who has had a great first half, scored Chelsea's second with a brilliant shot into the top corner.
Arsenal has tried to initiate attacks of its own with Emile Smith-Rowe being the brightest spark in the outfit but ominous signs for Mikel Arteta and his team. Something needs to change in the second half otherwise it can very well result in a drubbing.
Don't go anywhere as live action awaits from the second half!!!
HALF-TIME!! (ARSENAL 0-2 CHELSEA)
TWO ADDITIONAL MINUTES!!!
44' BOOKING- Rob Holding sees yellow for his challenge on Alonso. A visible sign of frustration. This means both centre-backs of Arsenal are now on a yellow.
41' PENALTY APPEAL BY ARSENAL..... REJECTED- Saka turns James, who put an arm across him. Saka hits the ground and Arsenal appeals for a penalty, but referee Paul Tierney waves it away. VAR takes a look and confirms Tierney's decision.
40' CHANCE- Chelsea attack again. Mount crosses from the left and Havertz, on the near-post tries to score and deflects the ball from Lukaku's path who was in a better position to tap the header in.
39' CHANCE- Smith-Rowe feeds Tierney who crosses. The ball deflects into Smith-Rowe's path but the youngster cannot fnd a touch.
37' What a brilliant first-half it has been for Reece James. After setting up Lukaku for Chelsea's first goal, he has now scored to double his team's lead.
35' GOOOAALLLL!!! CHELSEA DOUBLES ITS LEAD!! REECE JAMES HAS SCORED!!! A great team goal. All started with a brilliant skill from Havertz, which sent Marcos Alonso in space. Alonso feeds Lukaku, who fed Mount, who fed James. It is a fine finish by James as the ball flew into the top-corner.
34' BOOKING- Pablo Mari sees yellow for challenging Lukaku from behind.
31' James proving to be a nuisance for Arsenal from the left. A great ball into the box again by the youngster in search of Lukaku, but the ball was behind the Belgian striker.
29' SHOT- Lokonga with the shot this time but the ball sails over Mendy's goal.
27' Lukaku showing his strength again by holding off Mari and shielding the ball from him. He turns and shoots with his right. Nothing comes of it as the shot is a weak one.
24' CHANCE- A great move by Chelsea again- James again makes a run on the left and squares the ball to Mount, who shoots at goal. Mari gets the block-in. Lukaku in a better position to score and asks James why wasn't the ball passed to him.?
23' A nice counter by Arsenal as Nicholas Pepe sent Saka running with acres of green in front of him but the youngster shows too much of the ball to Azpilicueta. The veteran defender snatches the ball from him.
20' CHANCE- Its Lukaku again, this time with his head. James lifts a cross from the left into the box. Lukaku won the 50-50 with Mari but his header loops over the bar.
18' Sloppy pass from Tierney- Martinelli the intended target but the ball goes straight to Mendy.
17' That was Lukaku's first goal in a Chelsea shirt. More stats from OptaJoe
15' GOOOAALLLLLL!!!! CHELSEA SCOERES!!! ITS LUKAKU!!! Lukaku did brilliantly to hold the ball-up and then pass it to James, who was in acres of space behind Tierney. James spotted Lukaku's run and set it up on a plate for a tap-in.
12' Good passage of pressure from Arsenal. Its Nicholas Pepe with a daunting run this time. He passes it to Lokonga, who sends the ball to Saka. However, the attack peters out as Chelsea sorts its defensive shape and clears the ball.
11' Nothing comes from it and play stops for a Lokonga foul. Free-kick to Chelsea.
10' A great long-ball by Lokonga to Tierney, who does well to square the ball from the left flank. Marcus Alonso sends the ball out for a corner.
8' Arsenal looks happy to sit back and soak pressure from Chelsea. Kovacic and Jorginho dictating the midfield tempo for now.
5' SHOT- Havertz takes a shot from the edge of the penalty area but it goes out for a Chelsea throw-in. It was Holding with the block.
3' Xhaka uses his head to bravely block James' shot with from the edge of the box. He was on the ground momentarily but he is up and running now.
2' SHOT- An energetic start for Arsenal. Saka sets a shot up for Emile Smith-Rowe, who obliges. It is a comfortable save for Mendy.
1' KICK OFF!!!
09:00 PM- AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!!!
STAT ATTACK!!!
New season, new hopes. The Emirates is ready to welcome fans in its full glory
08:05 PM- LINEUPS ARE OUT!!!
Arsenal XI (4-3-2-1): Leno (GK), Cedric, Holding, Mari, Tierney, Xhaka (C), Sambi, Smith Rowe, Pepe, Saka, Martinelli
Subs: Ramsdale (GK), Chambers, Kolasinac, Tavares, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Nelson, Balogun, Aubameyang
Coach: Mikel Arteta
Chelsea XI (3-4-2-1): Mendy (GK), Azpilicueta (C), Chrsitensen, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso, Mount, Lukaku, Havertz
Subs: Kepa (GK), Chilwell, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Zouma, Kante, Huson-Odoi, Ziyech, Werner
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Match Preview
Arsenal is the latest Premier League team to have signed up for a behind-the-scenes documentary charting the goings-on at the club over the course of a season.
Program-makers are unlikely to be short of material in August.
Few clubs are in as much flux as Arsenal, whose presence in the “Dirty Dozen” that attempted — somewhat misguidedly — to launch a breakaway Super League belied their status as one of European football’s fallen giants.
READ: Pulisic out of Arsenal game with COVID, Lukaku expected to feature
Indeed, the team from north London hasn’t even qualified for European competition this season, the first time that has happened in 25 years.
Off the field, Arsenal is attempting to reshape its bloated, lop-sided and increasingly weak-looking squad in the final weeks of the transfer window for an improbable attempt at getting back in England’s elite.
Deals appear likely to be tied up shortly for Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard — a playmaker who was on loan at Emirates Stadium last season, and Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for a combined $74 million, taking Arsenal’s overall summer outlay close to $175 million.
READ: Arsenal completes signing of Ramsdale from Sheffield United
It’s quite the spending spree, coming somewhat away from the spotlight while so much attention is on the prospective transfer of Harry Kane elsewhere in north London, though how strong it leaves Arsenal’s squad is open to question.
That’s because on the field, Arsenal has started the Premier League season with a humbling 2-0 loss at promoted team Brentford that exposed the familiar failings in Mikel Arteta’s team, not least the flakiness at the heart of the defense.
With matches to come against European champion Chelsea — on Sunday for the headline fixture of the second round, and then English champion Manchester City, there is a decent chance Arsenal will be in last place heading into the international break ahead of Round 4.
READ: Arsenal reportedly reach agreement with Real Madrid for Odegaard transfer
That could make for must-see content for the documentary, though not the kind Arsenal would have envisaged when agreeing to take part.
There have been other concerns.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, arguably Arsenal’s two most high-profile players and certainly its most likely scorers, missed the game against Brentford because, according to Arteta, they were “unwell.”
The fact that the Spaniard added “that’s all I can say” when talking about the forwards’ absences suggested there was more to it.
And the club confirmed on Thursday that both players had missed the game because they had contracted the coronavirus.
While Aubameyang could return against Chelsea, Lacazette will miss out again.
Aubameyang is Arsenal’s highest earner whose form dipped dramatically after signing a big new deal with the club at the start of last season.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because a similar thing happened to Mesut Ozil — another big name who eventually became estranged from Arsenal.
Arsenal will hope things turn out differently with the Gabon striker, whose performances could be key for Arsenal as it looks to improve on a lowly eighth-place finish last season.
READ: Lukaku back at Chelsea as a more complete player
Chelsea’s arrival at the Emirates on Sunday, in that sense, is symbolic.
A club from the other side of London, it has just spent a club-record $135 million on a striker of proven quality in Belgium international Romelu Lukaku, who could make his debut after arriving from Inter Milan last week.
How Arteta would love to be able to call upon a player of such quality.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has managed to offload another striker, Tammy Abraham, for $47 million — a fairly substantial amount for a fringe player.
It’s the kind of business that seems to be beyond Arsenal.
READ: Lukaku aims to follow in Drogba's footsteps at Chelsea
The nature of the loss to Brentford immediately punctured any optimism Arsenal fans might have had coming into the season.
Its defense couldn’t cope with the speed and physicality of Brentford’s front two of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo so just imagine the damage Lukaku and co can do.
Arteta is currently relying on a bunch of young players, fronted by Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and new $70 million signing Ben White, in this Arsenal rebuild.
Brazil forward Gabriel Martinelli and Belgian midfielder Albert Lokonga, both of whom were part of an inexperienced starting lineup against Brentford, are also highly thought of and could be stars of the future.
Whether Arteta is given time to see through the development of these talented youngsters is another question entirely.
The visit of Chelsea could highlight just how far Arsenal has fallen.
---Via AP---
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