Pablo Mari endured a horrendous time on the night as he was persistently bullied by Romelu Lukaku at the Emirates
Handed over a start in the playing 11 against Arsenal, Romelu Lukaku aspired to lay down a marker in his debut match for Chelsea. Back at the club after playing for Manchester United and Inter Milan, the Belgian looked to show why Chelsea had broken the bank for him.
Replacing Timo Werner up the park, Lukaku needed little time in stamping his authority on the park. His was menace across the 90 minutes, bullying a paper thin Arsenal defensive unit which was left flabbergasted on how to deal with the man.
Video: Romelu Lukaku Toys With Pablo Mari In Arsenal vs Chelsea At The Emirates Stadium On Sunday
One player in particular who was schooled right across the length of the matchup was Pablo Mari. The defender was like a deer caught in headlights infront of the Chelsea striker, failing to match his physicality or guile on the night.
Bullied by Lukaku, Mari was persistently tossed around by him like a sack of rice. One moment which in particular caught the eye was Mari going tumbling and rolling on the ground as he tried to keep a track of Lukaku during the strike’s debut goal for Chelsea.
Pablo Marí descobriu na prática que não tem como parar o Lukaku no corpo pic.twitter.com/50EjrL2Xuq
— Julio Velasco (@eujuliovelasco) August 22, 2021
Losing his man, Mari who was left on the ground could only watch helplessly as Reece James sent the ball across the face of the goal, one Lukaku needed no second invitation to score. This was a reoccurring theme, one which has seen irate Arsenal fans lash out at Arteta and question why he refused to give William Saliba a chance instead.