Even if Chelsea is the league defender right now, Manchester United won the first trophy of the year after beating the Blues 3-1 on Wembley. With Petr Cech injured for some months, Carlo Ancelotti decided to field Henrique Hilario, but the goalkeeper conceded once in the first half. Wayne Rooney ran for a long pass on the right side of the pitch and sent a low cross in the penalty box, where Antonio Valencia (foto) only had to pass the ball past the shotstopper.
Both clubs made an important signing this summer. United bought Javier Hernandez and Chelsea signed Benayoun from Liverpool. Both players started the match on the bench, but the Mexican youngster went on the pitch in the second half to replace Rooney, while Berbatov replaced Owen. People say a good manager is known after his half-time talks and his substitutions. Well, Sir Alex Ferguson proved again what a good manager he is by bringing in young El Chicharito and Berbatov, who both scored in the end. Hernandez scored on his debut 14 minutes before the final whistle after winger Antonio Valencia crossed a ball from the right hand side. The Mexican netted a funny goal, kicking the ball in his face before it entered the goal.
Midfielder Salomon Kalou brought a glimpse of hope for Chelsea fans with his late goal following a mistake by van der Sar, but Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov closed the scoresheet with a beautiful chip over Hilario to bring the trophy to Old Trafford. Another trophy for Ferguson and a good performance from the team. Furthermore, not just the team worked well, but also Wayne Rooney, who after a disappoiting World Cup campaign showed signs of coming back to his best.
The Premier League will start next week and I already tipped Chelsea to win the competition for the second time in row, but after the Community Shield game, I am sure they will be heavy challenged by Manchester United who was a superior team today.
