Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel declared his happiness with how Romelu Lukaku has settled into the team after scoring on his second debut in the 2-0 win over Arsenal.
The Belgian was making his first appearance in a blue shirt for eight years, having sealed a £97.5million move back to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan in August.
Lukaku had not scored in any of his previous 10 league appearances for the Blues but wasted no time in getting off the mark, needing just 14 minutes to fire the visitors into the lead.
It was a goal right out of the striker’s textbook, drawing in Gunners defender Pablo Mari before bursting into the box and shrugging off the Spaniard, before tapping home from close range.
The 28-year-old also had a hand in the second goal scored by James having held up the ball superbly and was a constant threat through the match.
And Tuchel could not hide his delight with how his new striker fared on his first outing, describing his seamless transition into the squad.
“I’m very happy with how he has integrated already,” Tuchel told Sky Sports after the match.
“He is a very smart guy. He is a very democratic leader, talks to everybody as a leader and is very humble and competitive.
Mari and Rob Holding were completely outmuscled by the powerful frontman and only a fine save from Bernd Leno denied him a second goal.
“He gives something to our game we didn’t have as he protects the ball so we can play direct.
"You can’t start better than with a goal and almost scored a second but it was a big save from Leno. It’s a good start but we have to improve from here.”
When asked about what he wanted from Lukaku on his debut, Tuchel insisted he was expecting a goal from his new striker.
“I didn’t expect too much,” he added.
“I wanted to be open to watch him to see his strengths and capability to adapt and link up with Havertz and Mount. The guys like to play with each other.”
Tuchel was keen to congratulate his side for a solid start to the season which has seen them score five goals and concede none. But the 47-year-old has challenged his Champions League winners to continue building towards more success.
“It’s a perfect start. We didn’t concede and we have two victories," Tuchel added.
"This being a London derby gives us lots of confidence – this is what you need as we are different group. Some players have left, some have come in. This is what you need, experiences together and good victories.
"There were moments where we suffered together. This is how a group is built. That’s why we are happy with the start.
"But as I’ve said it was a unique preparation and we are still in the process. We must keep on going.”
Lukaku had his name chanted by the away support after bullying the Arsenal defence and firing eight shots on goal — the most by any Chelsea player since the start of last season.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville claimed the way he bossed the Arsenal defence was “classic Lukaku”, while there were inevitable comparisons to Didier Drogba and Diego Costa.
And there was no lack of self-confidence from the former Manchester United striker when he was asked to assess his own performance.
"Dominant, I would say,” he said.
“I try to improve every time, I have a long way to go but today was good to win. We have to win and keep going, the Premier League is a very competitive league."
Chelsea have joined Liverpool at the top of the Premier League on identical points and goal difference after claiming maximum points.
But something has got to give when the two sides meet at Anfield on August 28, with Tuchel and Klopp meeting once again after the Chelsea boss masterminded a 1-0 win last season.
