Thomas Tuchel hails Romelu Lukaku for performance against Arsenal

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has hailed Romelu Lukaku for his performance in Sunday's Premier League clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

On his second debut for the Blues, the Belgium international found the back of the net in the 15th minute before Reece James added a second, as the European Cup winners secured a 2-0 victory.

Tuchel said that he is "very happy" with how Lukaku has integrated since his arrival, and the Chelsea manager believes that the former Anderlecht youngster is the missing piece in the puzzle.

"I am very happy with how he has integrated already, a very smart guy who likes to be in the group. He is a very democratic leader, talks to everyone, friendly and is totally competitive," Tuchel told Sky Sports News.

"He gives us something we did not have, to protect balls. You cannot start better than a goal and he assisted some chances. I didn't expect too much but I wanted to see his capability to adapt and to link up, that is what he did very good and the guys like to play with each other."

Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 appearances for Inter Milan between 2019 and 2021 before securing a return to Stamford Bridge for a price in the region of £97.5m.