There was hope in the pre-amble to Wednesday night's game with Arsenal that the arrival of a wounded opponent to Stamford Bridge could reignite something in Romelu Lukaku.
Similar to how Timo Werner used his favourite opponent in Southampton to rediscover form and confidence, Thomas Tuchel's decision to hand the Belgian his first league start since the seven-touch display at Selhurst Park was a massive opportunity. Instead of Wednesday becoming a return to form for Lukaku, it was a great marker of how things have gone wrong since that dominant debut at The Emirates eight months ago.
By the time Lukaku was subbed off with 60 minutes gone, he sprinted off to a chorus of boos from sections of the home crowd. To then be followed by his replacement, Kai Havertz, getting an ironically loud cheer. It felt like a fatal full stop to a return that was never supposed to end this way.
