How Lukaku has performed in every debut

James Shearman

• 22 Aug 2021 18:29 BST
• 5 min read

Romelu Lukaku had the perfect debut for Chelsea on Sunday, scoring the opener in a 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Last week he completed his £97million(€115m) move to the club from Inter.

The Belgian made his return to Stamford Bridge as a more well-rounded and accomplished striker than in his previous stint, and one that Blues fans will be hoping is the final piece to manager Thomas Tuchel's puzzle.

The German boss has turned Chelsea's fortunes around since taking over from legendary ex-player Frank Lampard last season, who had struggled to integrate the club's many new signings into his plans.

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The west London club then went on to win an unlikely Champions League title under Tuchel's reign but one problem that remained under both managers was a lack of a reliable goalscorer.

Timo Werner had been brought in as Chelsea's new 'number nine' but his poor finishing in front of goal played a huge part in costing Lampard his job.

Now, a confident Lukaku has been tasked with finally replacing the once-talismanic figure of Diego Costa.

The 28-year-old made his debut against rivals Arsenal on Sunday, and it was a successful one.

So, here is a look at how Lukaku has got on in all of his debut performances:

Anderlecht debut

Lukaku turned professional on 13 May 2009, his 16th birthday, and made his Belgian Pro League debut just 11 days later.

It was the championship play-off final match against Standard Liege, and the youngster entered the pitch as a 69th-minute substitute. But Anderlecht lost the game 1-0.

It wasn't until the following season that Lukaku made a name for himself.

Belgium debut

Lukaku made his international debut for Belgium in 2010, at the age of 17.

The game ended in a 1-0 defeat to Croatia, but it was only a friendly.

He is now Belgium's all-time top goalscorer with 64 goals in 98 appearances.

Chelsea debut

Lukaku signed for boyhood club Chelsea in the summer of 2011 for a fee rising to £17m.

The striker had idolised Blues' legend Didier Drogba and was keen to play with the Ivorian at Stamford Bridge.

He made his debut in a 3-1 win against Norwich City, coming on in the final 10 minutes for Fernando Torres.

West Brom debut

On 10 August 2012, Lukaku joined West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan deal having been disappointed at the lack of first-team football on offer at Chelsea.

He made his debut in a Premier League match against Liverpool, where goals from Zoltan Gera and Peter Odemwingie gave the Baggies a 2-0 lead.

Lukaku was brought on as a substitute in the 77th minute and made the score 3-0. The first in an impressive list of successful debuts.

Everton debut

The Belgian opted for a second consecutive season on loan in 2012, this time at Everton.

In a thrilling debut, two free-kicks, courtesy of Leighton Baines, had the score at 2-2 away to West Ham United.

But, a bullet header from Lukaku gave the Toffees a 3-2 victory and acted as a sign of things to come in Merseyside.

Manchester United debut

By the end of the 2016/17 campaign, Lukaku had shown enough to earn a move to Premier League giants Manchester United.

And although the move didn't turn out as well as both parties had hoped, Lukaku's time at Old Trafford started great with another goal on his debut.

He scored in a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, proving that he could produce at the highest level.

Inter debut

Lukaku made his Inter debut on 26 August 2019 in the opening Serie A matchday against Lecce.

He netted the third goal in his side's 4-0 home win with his first shot of the game.

The strike meant that Lukaku had scored in the first league game for all of his former clubs, except Chelsea.

Second Chelsea debut

Lukaku made his second Chelsea debut on 22 August 2021 in the second matchday of the Premier League season against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

It took him just 15 minutes to score as he turned home from close-range from Reece James' cross.

Lukaku was then involved in the move that led to James doubling the away side's lead on 35 minutes.

Chelsea comfortably won the match 2-0 as Lukaku made it the fifth debut in a row that he had scored in.