Lukaku lasted an hour against Arsenal
Romelu Lukaku was booed off the pitch by Chelsea supporters as he was substituted during his side’s defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Having come on from the bench in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, Lukaku was named in Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI for the Premier League game against top four-chasing Arsenal.
The Belgian failed to add to his tally of five league goals this season, however, and was replaced by Kai Havertz with half an hour left to play.
As he left the field, some Chelsea supporters directed boos at the 28-year-old.
Lukaku booed as hes subbed off pic.twitter.com/ZkZNdpUhSR
— CarefreeLewisG Stream Updates (@CarefreelewisG2) April 20, 2022
Lukaku has endured a difficult season after returning to Stamford Bridge last summer in a big money deal from Inter Milan, scoring 12 times in 38 appearances.
Chelsea lose third consecutive home game
Arsenal took the lead twice in the second half through Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe, only for Chelsea to respond with equalisers from Timo Werner and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Nketiah restored Arsenal’s lead for a third time just before Lukaku was withdrawn, capitalising on more slack Chelsea defending.
As the home side pushed for an equaliser, Arsenal were awarded a late penalty when Bukayo Saka was fouled by Azpilicueta. Saka stepped up to fire home the penalty, sealing a 4-2 win for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The defeat means that Chelsea have lost three consecutive home matches for the first time since November 1993.
Tuchel refuses to discuss Lukaku’s performance after the game
Asked about Lukaku’s performance when speaking to Sky Sports after the game, a downbeat Tuchel, clearly frustrated at his team’s display, refused to discuss the striker.
“I’ve no interest in talking about individual players after a performance like this,” he said.
Related links:
- Ricketts family pull out of bid to buy Chelsea
- Christian Pulisic receives painfully low L’Equipe rating after Chelsea defeat
- Thiago Silva’s wife defends Chelsea star following commentator’s criticism
