Morgan Rogers’ Chelsea debut will sting for Arsenal fans as search for Martinelli replacement goes on

Arsenal fans got their first glimpse of what might have been with Morgan Rogers as he made his full Chelsea debut against Fulham.

Xabi Alonso opted to put Rogers in from the off and the England man picked up where he left off last season, scoring on debut to help guide the Blues to a win.

For Arsenal fans, seeing Rogers in action will have left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Despite Christos Tzolis impressing so far since arriving, Arsenal are still searching for another wide forward and after coming so close to getting Rogers in the summer, his debut was a reminder of the quality he possesses.

Morgan Rogers shows Arsenal what they missed out on during Chelsea debut

Chelsea might not be strong enough to win the league this season but on the evidence against Fulham, they can challenge.

In particular, the trio of Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro up top looked excellent, with Rogers and Palmer catching the eye plenty of times.

As for what Rogers produced, it was effortless brilliance really.

As well as his well-taken goal in the first half, Rogers also made five key passes leading to chances in the final third, while also having three shots at goal himself.

Rogers completed three successful dribbles, made 100% of his attempted long-balls, and while he did give the ball away more than Palmer and Pedro, he was trying to make things happen.

Coming off that left-hand side that Arsenal are so desperate to add to, Rogers showed just why Chelsea had paid over £100m for him.

Could Chelsea’s attack worry Arsenal’s defence?

We have all seen how good Arsenal’s defence has been in recent seasons but this front three at Chelsea looks as good as anything we’ve seen.

In terms of troubling Arsenal, only time will tell. But Xabi Alonso believes in the trio massively, believing they can cause problems for anyone.

“It is a great combination and great quality. We know that if we put them in a good position, then they have this talent to create special things,” Alonso said after the game.

“Today I am happy that today all three scored. I really enjoyed his [Palmer] performance. He played with responsibility and maturity, but also freedom.

“It is really important to me that we get the best out of Cole. I am happy for him and if we are going to have a good team, then we need a great Cole.”

We might only be one game into the season, but this Chelsea side looked a different beast to last year.

Now, with one of the best front three’s in Europe, Arsenal may genuinely have something different to worry about over the season.