August 23 (SportingNews) – When Lukaku first arrived at Chelsea back in 2011, Drogba was the man at Stamford Bridge; his all-round attributes as a central striker making him one of the most feared forwards in Europe.
Drogba particularly enjoyed feasting on Arsenal’s defence during his time in west London. The Ivorian scored 13 goals in 15 games against the Gunners, tormenting their centre-backs with his pace, power and precise finishing ability on a constant basis.
Lukaku did what he could to learn from Drogba during his first three-year spell with the Blues, and though it did not work out for the Belgium international, he remained close to the hero of the 2012 Champions League final.
The pair remain in touch, and Drogba even spoke to Lukaku five days before the 28-year-old agreed to re-join Chelsea from Inter. What Lukaku produced on his ‘second debut’, then, was the perfect homage to his hero.
Arsenal had no answer to Chelsea’s new £98-million ($136m) man, with Lukaku putting in the kind of all-action display that Drogba would have been proud of.
The ex-Manchester United man has always been deadly in front of goal, but the work he put into the other aspects of his game under Antonio Conte at Inter was clear for all to see at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
No more so was that the case than for the opening goal in Chelsea’s 2-0 win.
