Romelu Lukaku sent Chelsea a new message on Tuesday night with a monster performance against AC Milan that saw Napoli go top of Serie A.
Napoli beat Milan 2-0 at the San Siro to move seven points clear of Inter (who have a game in hand) 10 days into the season.
Lukaku was man of the match with an opener as he took a step in his stride with a wonderful first touch before knocking Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic to the ground and sliding the ball past Mike Maignan.
Lukaku kept the ball admirably throughout the game and his strike partner Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second with a long-range strike to secure three big points.
So far this season, despite missing pre-season and even returning to training, Lukaku has an impressive tally of four goals and four assists in just 570 minutes of Serie A football. He also made an assist in 14 minutes of play in the Coppa Italia.
Lukaku has had a huge impact on this Napoli side since arriving from Chelsea, having been specifically named by new boss Antonio Conte this summer.
Immediately after his debut, he was put to work. He was introduced for his debut as a second-half substitute at the Stadio Maradona on matchday three as his side trailed 1-0 at newly promoted Parma.
He almost scored with his first ball before sending a rocket in the equalizer in the 92nd minute. Napoli were not done with a winner scored by André Zambo Anguissa in the sixth minute of added time to give Conte's men a 2-1 win.
Lukaku started his first game for Napoli the following day, in a 4-0 win over Cagliari, with the Belgian scoring one goal and providing two assists.
His presence has already allowed Napoli to extend a gap at the top of the table. The Blues have conceded just one goal in their last eight games and look set to be a serious threat for the Scudetto against reigning champions Inter Milan and rivals Juventus.
Chelsea will have to wonder if they made the right decision to sell Lukaku to Napoli this summer, as it is well known that the Blues are still within striking distance of a top-flight number nine.
Lukaku to Chelsea
Lukaku originally joined Chelsea from Inter in the summer of 2021 for a record transfer fee of €115 million.
But he was a disaster in 2021-22, falling out with manager Thomas Tuchel, publicly criticizing the club, and putting in poor performances on the pitch.
Chelsea have tried to sell Lukaku since then, but have failed to find a club willing to pay the amortized cost of his transfer every summer.
As a result, he spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Inter, then last season on loan at Roma before joining Napoli on a permanent basis.
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