Times:

Michael Ballack and Patrice Evra clash as Chelsea win Community Shield

It has been the longest, laziest of summers for the sport that never
sleeps, but, if the sight of Wayne Rooney charging after John Terry
was not quite enough to convince you that the football season is now
upon us, then the finger-jabbing recriminations that followed the
Community Shield match at Wembley yesterday set the tone for another
ding-dong between Chelsea and Manchester United over the next 9˝
months.

So much of modern football revolves around propaganda that at times it
can be difficult to discern where the phoney war ends and the real
business begins. But this was an arresting spectacle to launch the new
campaign, a match that was high on action, incident and intrigue, with
Chelsea recovering from an uncertain start to prevail on a penalty
shoot-out, picking up their first trophy under Carlo Ancelotti,
however trivial it may prove to be, and perhaps gaining a little extra
momentum as they prepare to kick off the Barclays Premier League
season at home to Hull City at lunchtime on Saturday.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s appraisal that victory “won’t do Chelsea any harm”
will be strengthened by their knowledge that they were stronger for
all but the opening 20 minutes of the game. The Manchester United
manager felt that United “should have put the game to bed” by then,
but, by the time John Terry and Frank Lampard hoisted the oversized
trophy aloft after a penalty shoot-out in which Petr Cech saved from
Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra, Chelsea’s claim to victory was a
compelling one.

For being made to wait, Chelsea can blame Rooney, who showed great
composure to race clear and beat Cech with his left foot in the second
minute of stoppage time. The ferocity of United’s celebrations at that
point — on the pitch, certainly, but also on the terraces — owed much
to the enmity that built up in the game, from the incident between
Michael Ballack and Evra that led to Frank Lampard’s goal in the 71st
minute. But it also illustrated how much winning means to both sets of
players, particularly when it comes to a rivalry that dates back to
the José Mourinho era at Stamford Bridge and, for all Ferguson’s
characterisation of Chelsea as an old team, has plenty of life in it.

Drawing long-term conclusions from this fixture has become a fairly
hazardous pursuit down the years, but Chelsea are entitled to draw
encouragement from the manner in which they exerted their authority
after falling behind to Nani’s goal. For those first 20 minutes, in
which Dimitar Berbatov should have doubled United’s lead, it seemed
all too easy to pick holes in the diamond formation on which Ancelotti
has settled as the way to get the most out of the players at his
disposal, but Chelsea were the stronger thereafter. And, while he did
not score, perhaps the greatest beneficiary from the new line-up was
Nicolas Anelka, who immediately caught the eye and clearly relished
the opportunity to play alongside Didier Drogba in a two-man strike
force, having spent much of his Chelsea career operating in wide
positions.

It was United, though, who drew first blood, with the impressive
Darren Fletcher spraying a 30-yard pass wide to Nani, who showed
pleasing technique to bring the ball under control and, with a bit of
trickery, elude the questionable attentions of Branislav Ivanovic.
What came next, as Nani cut inside and struck a right-foot shot beyond
Cech at the far post, will inevitably spark talk of him stepping into
the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo, but this manoeuvre has been his
trademark in two largely erratic seasons at Old Trafford. The issue is
whether Nani can perform consistently and, having dislocated his
shoulder in a tackle with Terry in the second half yesterday, it may
be some time before he has the opportunity to prove he can.

United were knocking the ball around well, as if keen to show that
they can still flourish without Ronaldo, but Ferguson may be a little
concerned by the way in which they lost control of the game
thereafter. Ivanovic had a shot headed on to the crossbar by Evra,
from Lampard’s corner, Florent Malouda sliced a volley wide when
well-placed and Anelka peppered a series of shots at Ben Foster’s
goal, the first fizzing narrowly wide, the second blocked and the
third forcing the United goalkeeper into an awkward save.

Foster, eager to take advantage of Edwin van der Sar’s injury, had a
miserable afternoon, twice seeing clearances charged down by Drogba in
the first half before his performance took a turn for the worse in the
52nd minute. With Drogba steaming towards him, he may have had little
choice but to punch Malouda’s cross, but, having elected to do so, he
should have got more distance on his clearance. As it was, Ricardo
Carvalho was left with the simple task of heading Chelsea’s equaliser.

Chelsea’s second goal, in the 71st minute, should not have stood. The
problem was not with their decision to play on, with Evra lying prone
after an ugly challenge from Michael Ballack, but in the failure of
Chris Foy, the referee, to spot the challenge itself. Ferguson
suggested the German could have been sent off, which was not totally
unreasonable, but, in the event, Michael Carrick lost the ball and
Chelsea counter-attacked decisively, with Drogba setting up Lampard
for a well-struck shot that Foster, getting a firm hand to it, could
only push onto the post and in. Again the goalkeeper will feel he
should have done better.

What followed was fairly spiteful, with tensions rising between
Ballack and Evra, but United, showing that familiar capacity to keep
going until the end, forced a penalty shoot-out when Giggs set up
Rooney to score. Unlike in Moscow in the 2008 Champions League final,
it was Chelsea who held their nerve. This time Terry did not take one,
but he did collect the trophy, along with Lampard, and, after a summer
of uncertainty at Stamford Bridge, both he and Chelsea’s supporters
were entitled to enjoy the moment.


Chelsea (4-1-3-2): P Cech - 5 B Ivanovic 4 R Carvalho 7 J Terry 6 A
Cole 7 - J O Mikel - 6 M Essien 6 F Lampard 6 F Malouda 7 - N Anelka 8
D Drogba 6. Substitutes: J Bosingwa 5 (for Ivanovic, 46min), M Ballack
4 (for Mikel, 65), Deco (for Malouda, 77). Not used: Hilário, Alex, J
Belletti, S Kalou.

Manchester United (4-4-2): B Foster 4 - J O’Shea 6 R Ferdinand 7 J
Evans 7 P Evra 7 - Park Ji Sung 6 D Fletcher 7 M Carrick 6 Nani 7 - D
Berbatov 5 W Rooney 7. Substitutes: M Owen (for Berbatov, 75min), P
Scholes (for Fletcher, 75), R Giggs (for Park, 75), F Da Silva (for
O’Shea, 76). Not used: T Kuszczak, D Gibson.


--------------------------------------------------------


Telegraph:


Chelsea 2 Manchester United 2;
Chelsea win 4-1 on penalties:

By Henry Winter at Wembley

No love lost. For those craving fireworks this season, Chelsea and
Manchester United lit the fuse here. For those who enjoy their
football spiked with bitter rivalry, tune in. For those who prefer
love-ins, tune out. This Community Shield was all about good football
and bad blood, stirring the pot vigorously as the Premier League
hurtles back next weekend. Curtain-raising? Hair-raising more like.

Their hackles raised, United clearly view Chelsea as the main threat
to their title, more than Liverpool, overly reliant on Steven Gerrard
and Fernando Torres, and certainly more than Arsenal, still vulnerable
at centre-half. This defeat wounded the champions, who could sense
Chelsea leaving Wembley a far more confident force then when they
arrived.

Wembley captains urged to play nice United themselves stalked out of
town smarting at an injustice, a sentiment that will smoulder within
Patrice Evra, Wayne Rooney and company, an emotion that will ensure
the champions’ fire is fully stoked for the conflict ahead.

The gloves were torn off in the 70th minute. The teams were
level-pegging, Ricardo Carvalho having equalised Nani’s first-half
strike. Suddenly United had the ball, Evra knocking it to Rooney and
bursting forward in anticipation of the return. Instead, he was
body-checked by Michael Ballack, in the chest, not the face as Sir
Alex Ferguson claimed afterwards, but still a cynical offence, still
cautionable.

Evra lay there, writhing on the floor, as footballers do, looking like
he had run into the Reichstag. Dimitar Berbatov, meanwhile, was off
the field, receiving treatment for a thigh problem, leaving United
with nine men standing. Compassion was not in Chelsea thoughts. The
goal was. Ricardo Carvalho hoisted the loose ball forward, Didier
Drogba stormed to the edge of the box and Frank Lampard did the rest,
shooting home, although Ben Foster should arguably have saved.

United were incensed, arguing that Ballack should have been booked by
Chris Foy, that play should have been stopped. Chelsea were hardly
impressed that Evra jumped up quickly, clearly uninjured. And so the
temperature rose, setting the tone for the season. United’s feisty
Frenchman retaliated with a tackle on Ballack that took man, ball and
most of Germany.

Some sympathy must exist for United. Foy had halted play for similar
situations before, but Ferguson must realise that this is a referee
who shares the nation’s scepticism about players’ feigning injury,
whose idea that physios be allowed to run on while the game proceeds
around them gained even more credibility.

Such was United’s anger that they poured all their energy into finding
an equaliser. Typical United. They never give up. Deep into stoppage
time, Ryan Giggs flicked the ball through and Rooney, outpacing Jose
Bosingwa, fired in left-footed. Rooney, his bearing containing all the
diplomacy of a prize-fighter on enemy soil, stood in front of 40,000
Chelsea fans and celebrated wildly.

Chelsea had the last laugh, winning a penalty shoot-out, their first
in seven attenpts, beginning with an emphatic kick from Lampard, who
held the ball up towards the United fans. Wembley was hardly Woodstock
on Sunday. Giggs, surprisingly, placed his penalty too close to Petr
Cech. Advantage Chelsea.

Ballack, being German, drilled in his kick before Michael Carrick gave
United a semblance of hope. Drogba, derided by United fans, scored.
Evra, castigated by Chelsea supporters, then struck a penalty that was
even worse than Giggs’s, the ball rolled down the middle allowing Cech
to save. Salomon Kalou applied the coup de grace.

The look of thunder spreading across Rooney’s face said it all. United
know they are in for a tough season. Chelsea were stronger than them,
the Londoners inspired by the lung-breaking, box-to-box brilliance of
Cole. Carvalho was voted man of the match but Cole, defending and
creating relentlessly, held an equal claim. When Antonio Valencia came
on, Cole simply smothered him.

What will also delight Chelsea’s typically ebullient fans is how the
players eventually responded to Carlo Ancelotti’s diamond system.
Initially, uncertainty reigned. Lampard, positioned at the tip, found
his space and style cramped. Drogba and Nicolas Anelka looked less
than the sum of their considerable parts in attack.

At right-back, Branislav Ivanovic was so exposed that Nani had the
freedom of Wembley to work the ball wide of the Serb and shoot in
after only 10 minutes. Ancelotti wore the aggrieved look of a gourmand
in a Milanese restaurant learning that the last slice of Tiramisu had
gone.

Chelsea reacted. Michael Essien dropped back to protect Ivanovic, who
was hooked by Ancelotti at the break. Lampard began making runs from
deeper. Drogba moved up a gear, closing down Foster so quickly that
the United keeper, usually such a reliable kicker, fluffed a couple of
clearances.

Back came United, Darren Fletcher denied by Cech and then Rooney
thwarted by Cole’s superb block. Back came Chelsea again, Carvalho
heading in and then Lampard seizing that controversial lead. Rooney
ensured penalties but Chelsea took the Shield off United. Taking the
Premier League off United will be far more difficult.



---------------------------------------------------------



Mail:


Chelsea 2 Manchester United 2:

Blues hold their nerve to clinch Community Shield on penalties By Matt Lawton


Until Patrice Evra passed his penalty meekly into the arms of Petr
Cech, charity had been in rather short supply during this Community
Shield encounter.

There was actually a surprising amount of needle and genuine joy among
Chelsea’s ranks when Salomon Kalou converted the decisive spot-kick.
Not least on the face of Carlo Ancelotti, who must have known that
‘His Specialty’, Jose Mourinho, had also kicked off his Chelsea career
with a victory over Manchester United.
In both sides there was an almost tangible desire to land the first
psychological blow of what promises to be another fascinating title
race. Never mind that the game will be fast dismissed as an
irrelevance. They wanted to gain some kind of edge before the more
serious business of the Barclays Premier League begins next weekend.

It manifested itself in the way Chelsea scored their second, somewhat
controversial goal, in the way United communicated their displeasure
to the referee and the way Wayne Rooney then struck a quite brilliant
equaliser — 91 minutes and 43 seconds into a contest that most players
would have given up as no big deal.

It also manifested itself in the way Sir Alex Ferguson then ranted at
Chris Foy between the final whistle and the penalty shoot-out, and the
way Evra simply refused to accept what looked like an apology from
Michael Ballack.

Evra obviously has a bit of history with Chelsea, and their
groundstaff in particular. But his response to Frank Lampard’s
70th-minute goal was understandable when the England midfielder had
capitalised on the fact that Evra had been flattened by a Ballack
elbow seconds earlier.

Chelsea simply ignored the sight of Evra writhing on the ground, and
instead attacked a United side now down to nine men with Dimitar
Berbatov already receiving treatment on the side of the pitch.
Didier Drogba set off on a surging run before feeding the ball into
the path of Lampard in the exact area of the pitch normally patrolled
by a certain combustible French left-back. Lampard shot, Ben Foster
parried the ball against his righthand post but it bounced across the
line before the young English goalkeeper — a little nervous all
afternoon in front of Fabio Capello — cleared in vain.

Incensed, United reacted in a manner that probably amounts to a breach
of new Football Association disciplinary regulation. If three or more
players approach the referee in a ‘confrontational manner’, they face
an FA charge and Rooney, Evra and Antonio Valencia, as well as one or
two others, surrounded Foy to vent their anger.

Less than 10 minutes later and Evra collected a booking for a
challenge on Ballack, even if he did take the ball before the man. But
Rooney then delivered the best response, accelerating on to a super
ball from Ryan Giggs before lifting a delightful left-footed shot over
an advancing Cech.

On as a late replacement for Berbatov, Michael Owen would have given
his right arm to score that goal. It was straight from his repertoire
after all. But for United it was probably more important that Rooney
delivered, given the extra responsibility on his shoulders now that
Cristiano Ronaldo has gone.

Life after Ronaldo could yet prove difficult for the English
champions, and a goal from Nani after 10 minutes would have done
little to ease the sense of loss. Too often a dilettante with an
inflated opinion of himself, Nani has a long way to go before he can
be considered anything other than a poor man's Ronaldo.

His goal actually owed much to the poor judgment of Cech, who would
have cursed himself for failing to parry the Portuguese winger's
long-range shot to safety.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper did then make amends with two quite brilliant
saves to first deny Ji-Sung Park and then Berbatov, but the Czech
international is a perfectionist and he will wince when he sees the
replays. He might also demand that he gets that bright orange kit
back. Last season the orange must have dazzled strikers and made him
look even bigger than he actually is. The new strip isn’t anything
like as blinding.

Even if his side fought back, first with a headed 55th-minute
equaliser from Ricardo Carvalho after Foster had palmed a chipped
cross from Florent Malouda into his path, Ancelotti probably left
Wembley with more pressing concerns. His team lacked width against
United, which was a reason why Nani impressed against Branislav
Ivanovic. Until, that is, Ivanovic was hooked and Nani retired with
what appeared to be a nasty shoulder injury.
That said, a point that Ancelotti made last week remains true. Unlike
the rest of the top four, Chelsea have kept all their players and the
return of summer addition Yuri Zhirkov from injury will only
strengthen the Italian's hand, as well as provide the width they
lacked on this occasion.

Only time will tell how much United miss Ronaldo. Valencia and Owen
were signed to soften the blow of his departure and neither even made
the starting line-up here.

On Sunday, United just missed penalties, allowing Chelsea to emerge
victorious from such a spot-kick lottery for the first time in seven
attempts. Not that it will do anything to make up for that crushing
defeat in Moscow — a defeat, as this match demonstrated, that still
hurts them deeply.


Chelsea (4-3-1-2): Cech 6; Ivanovic 4 (Bosingwa 46 mins 6), Carvalho
7, Terry 7, A Cole 6; Essien 6, Mikel 6 (Ballack 65 6), Malouda 6
(Deco 78 6); Lampard 7; Anelka 6 (Kalou 84 6), Drogba 7.

Booked: Ivanovic.

Manchester United (4-4-2): Foster 5; O'Shea 6 (F Da Silva 75 6),
Ferdinand 7, Evans 7, Evra 6; Park 6 (Giggs 75 7), Fletcher 6 (Scholes
75 6), Carrick 6, Nani 7 (Valencia 63 6); Berbatov 6 (Owen 75 6),
Rooney 7.

Booked: Berbatov, Evra, Owen.

Referee: Chris Foy.

Attendance: 85,896.

Man of the match: Wayne Rooney.



-----------------------------------------------------------


Independent:


One game, one trophy for Ancelotti's Chelsea regime

Chelsea 2 Manchester Utd 2 (Chelsea win 4-1 on penalties)

By Sam Wallace at Wembley


It was not quite Billy Bremner's fight with Kevin Keegan, and no-one
got sent off or left the pitch bare-chested, but when Michael Ballack
floored Patrice Evra with a forearm to the chest you did get the
feeling that this was the start of another gloriously truculent, spiky
English football season.

The old bad blood was suddenly revisited: Wayne Rooney berated the
referee Chris Foy and Sir Alex Ferguson, in a Homer Simpson-style
short-sleeved shirt, did the same when the game finished for
penalties. Chelsea counter-attacked for their second goal while Evra
lay prostrate on the turf and the Manchester United left-back was
still complaining about his treatment when the United players were
waiting to take their penalties.

Granted, it was not the same feverish pitch as Bremner's and Keegan's
punch-up in the 1974 Charity Shield but 25 years on, there was not
much charity and very little community spirit. Nevertheless,
Ferguson's analysis of the game's turning point – that Chelsea goal
which was scored while Evra was on the ground – cut to the heart of a
matter which has the potential to be one of the big issues of the
season.

Ferguson was correct when he said that a referee must be consistent
when a player goes to ground: he must stop the play on every occasion
or not at all. Ferguson identified two occasions when Foy had called
play to a halt for players on the ground and contrasted that to the
moment in the 70th minute when Ballack floored Evra and Chelsea surged
forward to score. It is a grey area that does the game no favours.

Yet this was a match that had plenty of life even before Chelsea's
contentious second goal. It had a brilliant opening goal from Luis
Nani who, in that brief moment looked a replacement for Cristiano
Ronaldo, but did little else and later left the pitch with a
dislocated shoulder. Then Chelsea came surging back, that old powerful
machine looking just as daunting despite being shoehorned into Carlo
Ancelotti's new formation.

Ancelotti: one game, one trophy. Even though after Rooney's
92nd-minute equaliser it did not look like this was to be Chelsea's
day. Chelsea had muscled their way back into the match with an
equaliser from Ricardo Carvalho and a goal from Frank Lampard but with
time slipping away Rooney exchanged passes with Park Ji-sung and
bulldozed past the challenge of Jose Bosingwa to score.

Welcome, Carlo, to a lifetime of trying to beat Manchester United.
However, like Jose Mourinho in his first game in charge of Chelsea
five years ago, the Italian coach won in the end courtesy of two very
dodgy penalties from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra.

The latter, evidently still nursing a sense of injustice from his
tangle with Ballack, tapped a penalty so tame at Petr Cech that the
Chelsea goalkeeper might have gathered it without diving.

Having dragged themselves back into the game in the dying moments,
United tossed it away with two dreadful penalties – only Michael
Carrick scored from their three. Over the course of a hot afternoon
this game had actually started to mean something to the combatants, so
when Salomon Kalou struck the winning penalty, the Chelsea players
even began to sprint towards him until they remembered the nature of
the prize at stake.

In his seat in the Wembley stand it looked like Fabio Capello was
sporting another new pair of designer spectacles although it was
tempting to think that not even rose-tinted lenses will have rescued
Ben Foster's performance. The United goalkeeper came perilously close
to gifting Didier Drogba possession in the first half and then, when
Florent Malouda crossed for Drogba on 52 minutes, he flapped at the
ball.

It was headed home by Carvalho and Chelsea were back in the game. They
had gone behind to Nani's 10th-minute strike, one of his trademark
runs from the left, he cut in on his right foot and buried the ball in
the far corner of Cech's goal. There was a moment of misunderstanding
between the Chelsea goalkeeper and his captain John Terry who both
seemed to leave it to one another.

Terry had tested the water with the Chelsea fans by gingerly
applauding them as he and his team-mates warmed up and the reception
was so positive he must now believe that he has got away scot-free
with his summer flirtation with Manchester City. The worry for Chelsea
was Branislav Ivanovic at right-back who had a disastrous start to the
game against Nani, was booked for a foul on Evra and replaced at
half-time with Bosingwa.

It was telling that neither starting line-up included a single player
acquired during the summer – both these clubs have, to a great extent,
been forced to settle for what they have got in football's new
financial world order. And for United and Chelsea, the reliance was on
the same old characters: Rooney, Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Drogba all
looked like they will be dominant figures again this season.

Yet for United, the fear about the goalscoring threat which
disappeared when Ronaldo left in June hung heavy. Dimitar Berbatov
started strongly, denied a goal by Cech's save in the 17th minute but
once again the United striker faded. Rooney only really got free of
the Chelsea defence when Ryan Giggs opened up the Blues with seconds
left. Michael Owen, a late substitute, got booked for a handball and
did little else.

The real drama was in Evra's feud with Ballack, who entered the game
on 65 minutes. The German offered the hand of peace in the aftermath
of the game, but you get the impression this one will run and run. It
seemed to have its roots in a feud that pre-dated yesterday's game and
the two players were at it almost from the moment that Ballack came on
to the pitch.

On 70 minutes, Ballack smashed Evra with his arm and from Carvalho's
clearance, Drogba crossed for Lampard to score. A few minutes later,
Evra caught Ballack lingering on the ball and dispossessed him
brutally but fairly. "Ballack did not complain [about the tackle],"
Ferguson said, "and that's unusual." Evra was booked. Fingers were
pointed. If the season starts as red-blooded as this, Saturday can't
come quickly enough.

Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Ivanovic (Bosingwa, h-t), Carvalho, Terry, A
Cole; Mikel (Ballack, 65); Essien, Lampard, Malouda (Deco, 76);
Drogba, Anelka (Kalou, 83). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk),
Bosingwa, Alex, Belletti.

Manchester United (4-4-2): Foster; O'Shea (F Da Silva, 75), Ferdinand,
Evans, Evra; Park (Giggs, 75), Fletcher (Scholes, 75), Carrick, Nani
(Valencia, 63); Berbatov (Owen, 75), Rooney. Substitutes not used:
Gibson, Kuszczak (gk).

Booked: Chelsea Ivanovic; Manchester United Berbatov, Evra, Owen.

Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).

Man of the match: Cech.

Attendance: 85,896.

From the spot

Frank Lampard confidently steps up to score the first penalty for Chelsea.
Manchester United's first penalty taker, Ryan Giggs sees his penalty
saved by Petr Cech handing the Blues the early advantage.

*Michael Ballack scores for Chelsea,

* Michael Carrick replies for the Reds to make it 2-1.

*Didier Drogba scores the third penalty while Patrice Evra's tame kick
is saved with ease by Cech, Chelsea lead the shoot-out 3-1.

*Salomon Kalou scores the deciding spot-kick to give Chelsea a
resounding 4-1 victory in the shoot-out.



----------------------------------------------------


Guardian:


Chelsea strike first blow against Manchester United in Community Shield

Chelsea 2-2 Manchester United; Chelsea win 4-1 on penalties

Kevin McCarra at Wembley

This Community Shield occasion cannot be dismissed as a bogus match.
It had the hallmark of authenticity in the rancour that so often comes
to the fore when rivals meet. Manchester United's reaction to the
second Chelsea goal was certainly not a rueful shrug. There was rage
over the substitute Michael Ballack's unpunished bodycheck on Patrice
Evra moments before Frank Lampard put his side 2-1 ahead.

The United left-back, 10 minutes later, conducted a reprisal on the
German that brought him a yellow card. Still, an afternoon that closed
with Chelsea's victory in a shoot-out had more to do with laudable
enterprise than feuds. United, who had been 1-0 ahead, were galvanised
by the manner in which they had fallen behind, and Wayne Rooney
equalised in the second minute of stoppage time after being sent clear
by the substitute Ryan Giggs.

The indignation in United's ranks was warranted. After Evra was
floored, his side was still in possession and that must have persuaded
the referee Chris Foy to play the advantage, but it was of no benefit
when their left-back lay on the ground. Chelsea recovered possession
and the sporadically effective Didier Drogba cut inside John O'Shea
before picking out Lampard. Ben Foster got his hands to the ensuing
drive but merely helped the ball on its way over the line via the
post.

The goalkeeper's shaky performance may have been the most significant
factor. Foster hopes to establish himself with his country. With the
incumbent, David James, left out of the England squad because of a
knee problem, there was a prospect of Foster featuring against Holland
in Wednesday's friendly. Fabio Capello, at the least, will have
reservations.

Sir Alex Ferguson had pronounced that Foster would be between the
posts at the 2010 World Cup and declared the 26-year-old to be
"streets ahead" of any other English goalkeeper. That may well be true
but there was a reminder that reputations can only be established in
competitive matches. Foster will have to do much better if Edwin van
der Sar is not to be reinstated next month when he makes his comeback
after a hand operation.

Foster was blameless in the shoot-out as the victors converted all
four of the penalties they needed, with Salomon Kalou slotting the
last. Michael Carrick was the sole United player to succeed from his
side's three efforts. This outcome, of course, is no salve for
Chelsea's loss to United on penalties in the 2008 Champions League
final but Petr Cech, normally outstanding at everything other than
stopping spot-kicks, fared well here.

Foster was still the goalkeeper who had the greater impact on the
result. He was tentative when Chelsea scored in the 52nd minute.
Lampard linked with Florent Malouda, who flighted a cross with which
Foster, under pressure from Drogba, barely connected. Ricardo Carvalho
headed home the loose ball. The defender deserved to be the
beneficiary as the most impressive performer.

The Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, may feel he is carrying good
fortune if Carvalho, the Portugal centre-back, is to be his true self
once more. He was bedevilled by injuries and dwindled as an influence
last season but he illustrated at Wembley that he can be a key factor
in the season ahead. With the new signing Yuri Zhirkov absent because
of a knee injury there was a sense Ancelotti was simply developing a
deeper knowledge of his inheritance.

He will have found this game more instructive than any of the
friendlies to date. United initially nullified the diamond midfield
system that the Italian wishes to employ. With Darren Fletcher
particularly effective in front of the defence, Lampard, before his
goal, had limited scope. If the result here does not count for very
much, then Ferguson can generally be happy.

Nani had often been lamentable in the last campaign but he was full of
conviction here, at least until he was withdrawn after dislocating his
shoulder when toppled by John Terry. He is not a replica of Cristiano
Ronaldo but he accomplished enough here to make United rueful about
his injury. In the 10th minute, he veered in from the left, cut across
the hapless Branislav Ivanovic and fired low into the far corner, with
Cech conceivably unsighted.

Cech recovered to make saves from Park Ji-sung and Dimitar Berbatov.
Yet Chelsea posed a threat throughout; as early as the sixth minute,
Evra had knocked the ball against his own bar to deny Ivanovic. It was
an afternoon of small margins. That could be the case throughout the
season as these clubs are in the thick of the battle for the Premier
League title.



---------------------------------------------------------------


Sun:


Chelsea 2 Man Utd 2

From IAN McGARRY at Wembley

CARLO ANCELOTTI grabbed his first piece of English silverware
yesterday - and now the nation is hoping the season will end with
another Italian leading the country to glory.

The season kicked off with Ancelotti's Chelsea proving they can win a
penalty shootout - even against Manchester United.

And on Wednesday Fabio Capello begins serious preparations for
England's assault on the World Cup with a friendly against Holland.

What odds an Italian double with both former AC Milan managers writing
their names large in the history of the English game?

Ancelotti could not have got a better start to his reign as Blues boss
at Wembley with a spot-kick victory over the Premier League kings.

Wayne Rooney's injury-time equaliser forced the Community Shield to
penalties but Chelsea held their nerve having failed to win a shootout
for 11 years.

In fact, four Chelsea managers have lost the club's last six spot-kick
crunchers - including the 2008 Champions League Final against United
in Moscow - so Ancelotti did not have history on his side.

When you are Italian, however, penalties are as much a part of the
culture as pizza and Pavarotti. United boss Alex Ferguson will
remember Ancelotti's Milan side winning a shootout at Old Trafford to
beat Juventus in the 2003 Champions League final.

Ancelotti has had his players practising from 12 yards in training
over the past two weeks and it clearly paid off.

Ben Foster, the hero for United in their Carling Cup shootout victory
against Spurs last season, looked supremely confident as he stood to
face Frank Lampard.

With Capello watching from the Royal Box, Foster clearly fancied a
repeat of that afternoon but was soon made to look the court jester.

First Lamps, then Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba all beat him
easily to the keeper's right. Petr Cech fared much better, saving with
his feet from Ryan Giggs before Patrice Evra completed his clown-like
performance with a comedy kick which rolled into the keeper's arms.

Salomon Kalou struck the winning kick and Ancelotti raised his arms to
salute his first silverware in his new job.

Not that winning the shield, which marks the opening of the season,
will be enough to see him succeed where two of his last three
predecessors failed.

Ancelotti is no fool and knows only lifting the Premier League title
and/or the Champions League this season will see him stay for a
second.

This win though, was more significant for Chelsea than just breaking
their penalty hoodoo.

For five weeks the new boss has been preaching on his preferred
diamond formation but for 30 minutes against United, it looked less
than polished. Fergie played four across the middle with Evra and John
O'Shea overlapping from full-back.

And in a torrid period for Chelsea, they were almost swept away as
tide after tide of red shirts broke their defensive barrier.

Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher and even the limp Dimitar Berbatov
peppered Cech's goal.

But it was Portuguese winger Nani who broke the deadlock after just 10
minutes. He scooped up a perfect crossfield pass from Fletcher before
selling Branislav Ivanovic a clever dummy.

Michael Essien was slow to close the space and Nani bent a shot which
flew between Cech and John Terry.

Ancelotti clenched his fists in frustration. Fergie just sat back in
his seat and smiled.

And if United's possession had been converted into goals in the first
45 minutes then this contest would have been over at half time.

Chelsea, though, have yet to lose under their new Italian coach and
have shown a stubborn tenacity on the pitch matched by Ancelotti's
shrewd tactical brain.

He removed the hapless Ivanovic and asked Lampard to drop deeper and
take responsibility on the ball.The England star set up Ricardo
Carvalho's equaliser after 52 minutes which Foster placed on his head
with an unconvincing clearance.

Lamps then fired the Blues ahead with 19 minutes left after a great
set-up from Drogba.

Showing classic Italian caution, Ancelotti pulled Drogba and Lampard
back to help defend the flanks in the closing minutes.

With nine men behind the ball and only Kalou up front, Chelsea had the
perfect system to foil Fergie's men.

But it was a case of almost but not quite as Giggs nudged a perfect
ball past Jose Bosingwa for Rooney to run on and beat Cech with just a
minute of added time left.

In recent years, Chelsea hearts have burst and heads dropped at the
prospect of winning a shootout.

That does not appear the case under Ancelotti. He selected his list of
penalty takers and gave them specific instructions on what to do.

Ferguson was already stewing over Ballack's body check on Evra in the
build-up to Chelsea's second goal. So the comedy of errors in the
shootout must have left him fuming at the start of a season where
United are chasing an record fourth consecutive League title.

The omens for Ancelotti are much better. Jose Mourinho was the last
Chelsea boss to win the Community Shield which he followed with a
second Premier League win.

If Ancelotti's side can sustain this level of performance, it could
yet be a vintage year for England's Italians.



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Star:


FIRST BLOOD TO BLUES AS FEUD RAGES ON

Chelsea 2 Man Utd 2 (Chelsea win 4-1 on penalties)

THIS used to be called the Charity Shield. Well, Chelsea certainly did
not show any charity yesterday as they scored the most controversial
of goals.

Frank Lampard’s 70th-minute strike, which looked set to win this
showdown until Wayne Rooney equalised at the death, was claimed while
Patrice Evra lay flat out near the other end of the pitch.

If it had been anyone else, the Blues might have kicked the ball out.

But not Evra, the Frenchman who was banned for four matches last
season after a fracas with Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell at Stamford
Bridge.

United were so furious, they lined up to protest to ref Chris Foy,
delaying the restart for a
couple of minutes – and boss Sir Alex Ferguson had his say to the
Merseyside official before the penalty shootout, won by the Blues 4-1.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Premier League title rivalry, Carlo Ancelotti!

Nani deservedly gave United the lead in the 10th minute before Ricardo
Carvalho responded in the 52nd. Then came that Lampard goal and
Rooney’s dramatic late equaliser.

So what will Ancelotti and Fergie have learned from this Community
Shield clash?

Italian Ancelotti must have been pleased at how his 4-1-2-1-2 system,
which looked hopeless in the first half, improved markedly after the
break, following the withdrawal of right-back Branislav Ivanovic – and
no doubt a few harsh words.

Lampard also needs time to get used to his advanced role, with
Chelsea’s best player marginalised before the break, and Didier Drogba
and Nicolas Anelka’s strike partnership is a long way off being a
natural pairing.

For Fergie there was the promise of Nani, who was superb in the first
half and unlucky to suffer what looked like a collarbone injury around
the hour. He may not be Cristiano Ronaldo II, but he is definitely
exciting.

Dimitar Berbatov promises to continue to frustrate and impress in equal measures

And Rooney, back in a striking role, showed with that late goal what a
threat he will be, even when not at his riveting best. Michael Owen
was not on long enough to judge.

This certainly was not a dull encounter, with plenty of intensity from
the start as the two teams who have dominated the Premier League for
four seasons attempting to bag an early psychological advantage.

In the sixth minute, Ivanovic was unlucky to see Evra graze his
close-range sidefoot from a Lampard corner on to the bar. Ivanovic’s
fortune was even worse for Nani’s opener. The Portuguese winger
collected an excellent Darren Fletcher crossfield pass on the left and
used the decoy run of fullback Evra to shape as if to pass to his
team-mate.

Ivanovic and Michael Essien were fooled as, instead, Nani cut in and
burst towards goal before firing a right-foot shot which arched to the
left of Petr Cech, with the keeper getting a weak hand on the ball.

Just before the break, Cech showed his class. Fletcher collected a
quick Nani corner and shook off Anelka before forcing Cech to tip over
his fine shot.

Chelsea equalised through that most unlikely of sources, Carvalho.

Lampard and Florent Malouda worked an opening out on the left and the
Frenchman lofted a cross which Drogba, Evra and keeper Ben Foster all
went for.

Foster’s push clear was poor, going straight to the centre-back, who
sent his diving header from eight yards into the net.

Then came that Lampard goal, which followed a blatant bodycheck on
Evra by Michael Ballack.

Carvalho thumped a clearance to Drogba, who surged forward past Jonny
Evans, before squaring to Lampard on the edge of box. He fired home
off Foster’s body and the inside of a post.

Nine minutes after the goal Evra exacted some revenge on Ballack,
flying in and taking a massive swipe which luckily saw him connect
with the ball.

Foy, though, saw the intent and booked the Frenchman.

In stoppage time Rooney, who had been fairly restricted on his return
to a central attacking role, proved he is always dangerous.

Michael Carrick chipped a ball to Ryan Giggs, who sent Rooney
scurrying through on goal. He held off Jose Bosingwa to clip past Cech
with his left foot.

Ballack and Evra spent a fair bit of time mulling over their two
incidents as the two sides prepared for spot-kicks and Fergie let Foy
know what he thought about Chelsea’s second goal.

Carrick netted his penalty but either side of his, Ryan Giggs and poor
Evra missed. But the Blues were four from four through Lampard,
Ballack, Drogba and Salomon Kalou.

First blood to Ancelotti and if this passionate display yesterday is
anything to go by there could be plenty of the red stuff spilled as
these two battle it out at the top.


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