LONDON—Manchester United have started the season as they mean to go on—taking trophies off Chelsea. The Red Devils defeated Chelsea at Wembley 3–1 on Sunday in the Community Shield—the traditional curtain-raiser to the English Premier League season.
Although by no means the best indicator to the title race which lies ahead, in four of the last five seasons the winner of the Community Shield has gone on to claim the title.
And with these two clubs dominating the Premier League for the last six years, only an outside bet would suggest the oil rich funds of Man City or the beautiful football of Arsenal will usurp them this time around.
With every passing year it is suggested that this may be Sir Alex Ferguson’s last in charge of Man U, but he is still looking youthful and will be delighted with this resilient victory.
Speaking after the game Ferguson said: “Some of the football was very good at times. I think we deserved to win it.”
His old guard, too, are still proving their worth. Paul Scholes, now 35, was exceptional in the first half, and was a worthy winner of the Man of the Match.
His passing was at times sublime, his contribution to the first goal late in the first half superb. A 50-yard pass saw a rejuvenated Wayne Rooney burst in to space to evade John Terry. Controlling the ball with a first time pass, Rooney expertly threaded it past Ashley Cole, reaching Antonio Valencia arriving with speed, who finished the move neatly.
It was John O’Shea who unlocked the Chelsea defence in the 2nd half, his excellent long ball finding Valencia, whose great movement had once more eluded Cole. The Ecuadorian found Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez in the penalty area, and the new signing, so keen to get off the mark, struck home the ball off his own face, giving Man United a two-goal advantage in the 76th minute.
Any doubt as to the intent of the game was removed early on, with Rooney dashing back deep into his own half to dispossess Salomon Kalou. The England striker was subjected to continuous booing from the Chelsea fans, silenced only by his deft contribution to the opening goal.
Fortunately, Chelsea faces a mild introduction to the title race, not meeting one of the “bigger” teams until the sixth match in, so there is time yet for them to lick their wounds and stop the rot.
A fully fit Didier Drogba will make a big difference. There were flashes here of the strength and skill which made him last years top goal scorer.
The introduction in the second half of Daniel Sturridge will also give grounds for optimism. He breathed new life into Chelsea’s attack, and it was his fine run and long range strike which Edwin Van der Sar could only parry, that created the opening for Kalou to fire home Chelsea’s solitary goal in the 83rd minute.
From this point on Chelsea applied a lot of pressure, and a late equalizer looked a distinct possibility. But deep into injury time, rather than the traditional “trick” of herding the ball into the corner flag, Man U strung together an incredible 20 passes, finishing with a wonderful lobbed shot by Dimitar Berbatov which left Chelsea reserve keeper Hilario helpless.
Despite the intensity of the game, all of Manchester United’s outfield players ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with Berbatov, illustrating the significance of this victory.
Although by no means the best indicator to the title race which lies ahead, in four of the last five seasons the winner of the Community Shield has gone on to claim the title.
And with these two clubs dominating the Premier League for the last six years, only an outside bet would suggest the oil rich funds of Man City or the beautiful football of Arsenal will usurp them this time around.
With every passing year it is suggested that this may be Sir Alex Ferguson’s last in charge of Man U, but he is still looking youthful and will be delighted with this resilient victory.
Speaking after the game Ferguson said: “Some of the football was very good at times. I think we deserved to win it.”
His old guard, too, are still proving their worth. Paul Scholes, now 35, was exceptional in the first half, and was a worthy winner of the Man of the Match.
His passing was at times sublime, his contribution to the first goal late in the first half superb. A 50-yard pass saw a rejuvenated Wayne Rooney burst in to space to evade John Terry. Controlling the ball with a first time pass, Rooney expertly threaded it past Ashley Cole, reaching Antonio Valencia arriving with speed, who finished the move neatly.
It was John O’Shea who unlocked the Chelsea defence in the 2nd half, his excellent long ball finding Valencia, whose great movement had once more eluded Cole. The Ecuadorian found Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez in the penalty area, and the new signing, so keen to get off the mark, struck home the ball off his own face, giving Man United a two-goal advantage in the 76th minute.
Any doubt as to the intent of the game was removed early on, with Rooney dashing back deep into his own half to dispossess Salomon Kalou. The England striker was subjected to continuous booing from the Chelsea fans, silenced only by his deft contribution to the opening goal.
Blues Feeling Blue
Chelsea, for their part, were strangely subdued. Like Manchester United they fielded a strong team, but they never really reached top gear. They have now lost their last four games, including three preseason friendlies, which will be a definite cause for concern for boss Carlos Ancelotti, who was much celebrated for winning the double in his first season at the club.Fortunately, Chelsea faces a mild introduction to the title race, not meeting one of the “bigger” teams until the sixth match in, so there is time yet for them to lick their wounds and stop the rot.
A fully fit Didier Drogba will make a big difference. There were flashes here of the strength and skill which made him last years top goal scorer.
The introduction in the second half of Daniel Sturridge will also give grounds for optimism. He breathed new life into Chelsea’s attack, and it was his fine run and long range strike which Edwin Van der Sar could only parry, that created the opening for Kalou to fire home Chelsea’s solitary goal in the 83rd minute.
From this point on Chelsea applied a lot of pressure, and a late equalizer looked a distinct possibility. But deep into injury time, rather than the traditional “trick” of herding the ball into the corner flag, Man U strung together an incredible 20 passes, finishing with a wonderful lobbed shot by Dimitar Berbatov which left Chelsea reserve keeper Hilario helpless.
Despite the intensity of the game, all of Manchester United’s outfield players ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with Berbatov, illustrating the significance of this victory.
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