Community Shield: Chelsea - Manchester United

The champagne is out, jubilation for Chelsea. They win their fourth Community Shield in team history. This game was a true feast of football.

John Terry is now going up the Wembley steps to raise the Community Shield for Chelsea. Manchester United have just received their runners-up medals.

Full Time. Chelsea never make it easy for themselves, but they are the 2009 Community Shield Champions. The top tier of English football is finally back, and the bliss will be felt all over the world.

Deco steps up, but actually Kalou will take this one. And Salomon Kalou finishes and gives Carlo Ancelotti his first trophy. Chelsea win on penalties 4-1.

Patrice Evra is next. He has a poor penalty, no power at all. Petr Cech dives to his right. Chelsea up 3-1.

Didier Drogba steps up. Strikes powerfully to Foster’s right. Hit with power, bending into the corner.

Carrick goes to the right, and finishes well. Cech guessed right, but couldn’t reach the ball. 2-1 Chelsea.

Ballack finishes into the left side netting, nothing Foster can do.

Giggs also goes down the middle, but Cech makes a kick save. Chelsea up 1-0.

Lampard goes down the middle to beat Foster for the first penalty. Giggs is next to step up.

End of Second Half. Penalty Kicks coming up. Chelsea looked to have the upper hand until they went ahead. But Evra and the rest of the squad would not give up and Manchester United have got their reward. Can Ben Foster impress this afternoon from 12 yards out?

91’ - GOAL!!! ROONEY ROONEY ROONEY (that’s what the Manchester fans are yelling)!!!! 2-2! An injury time equalizer from Rooney. Ryan Giggs slipped Rooney in with an exquisite pass, and Rooney kept him composure to finish low to the far post, past Cech.

90’ - Owen is taken down by Carvalho after a good bit of skill by Owen. Giggs’ free kick results in nothing.

88’ - Giggs whips in a good cross from a free kick. Owen flicks, and by flicks I mean he gets a hair to it. He should do better. Cech is able to punch clear. Ferdinand puts a subsequent effort wide of goal, which Cech collects easily.

85’ - Michael Owen is booked for trying to disguise a handball. Capello won’t like that. Owen is shown a yellow card.

84’ - Salomon Kalou comes on for Anelka. Manchester are pressing forward with purpose, and Chelsea are doing everything they can to stop Man U from getting any clear looks on goal. So far Chelsea are effective, but can they hold on for the remaining few minutes?

81’ - Fabio Capello is shown in the stands, watching the likes of Lampard, Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand, Ben Foster, and even Michael Owen. Owen will certainly want to impress him. An equalizer for United would do just that.

80’ - Evra with a cruching challenge on Ballack, and Evra is given a yellow card. A reckless challenge, but perhaps a bit of vigilante justice.

79’ - Chelsea are retaining possession at the moment, as Carlo Ancelotti is yelling at his team to keep possession. Milan used to be the masters of the one-goal victory, maybe Chelsea can be this season.

78’ - Florent Malouda is off, Deco is on.

76’ Ben Foster makes a good save, as he gets low quickly to stop Drogba’s effort. Foster’s best save of the match.

75’ - Giggs, Owen, Fabio, and Scholes all come on for Berbatov, Fletcher, O’Shea, and Park. Fletcher has had the best game of the four.

74’ - Manchester supporters are urging their team forward, and the United players are responding with passionate play. Ancelotti is yelling at his players to keep the ball, but right now Chelsea cannot manage to do so.

73’ - United corner falls to Carrick who weakly volleys it into the hands of Cech.

70’ - GOAL! 2-1 Chelsea! Chelsea have taken the lead with a Lampard strike from 18 yards. Drogba does well to get past O’Shea and give it to Lampard. Manchester United players are livid as Evra was shouldered in the face by Ballack, and was down injured while Chelsea was counter-attacking.

69’ - The pace of the game has picked up after a few lackluster moments.

68’ - Chelsea and Manchester both go box to box with half chances but open play resumes.

67’ - Chesea are putting Ballack on the right and Essien moves into the base of their diamond formation.

65’ - Ballack is on for Mikel, a little bit of a change for Chelsea. Ballack has more of an offensive presence, it seems that Carlo wants to earn his first trophy through attacking football.

62’ - Nani is now replaced by Antonio Valencia. Unfortunate for Nani, he has had a great match. Valencia is getting a nice reception by the Man Utd fans. Apparently Nani’s shoulder is hurt.

61’ - Terry has a hard challenge on Nani. It was fair. He got the ball. Nani didn’t like it, but the ref is telling him to get up. He is receiving treatment now. All the players are now showing that they are a bit fatigued as they go to the side for water.

60’ - Terry to Malouda, Malouda then crosses to Drogba who is rushing into the Manchester box. But the cross has too much on it, and Drogba cannot make contact.

57’ - Malouda has an audacious effort from 30 yards out, miles over Foster’s net.

53’ - Chelsea are back in it now. Can United respond?

52’ - GOAL!!! And Chelsea are level! 1-1! Lampard to Cole. Cole then crosses it to Drogba, who is taken out by Ben Foster. The ball falls to Carvalho, who heads it into an empty goal from 8 yards out. This game just went up a few notches.

50’ - Park gives to Rooney, Rooney settles and strikes. But a lunging Ashley Cole takes one for his team and deflects it to safety.

47’ - Lampard feeds a brilliant pass to Malouda, who has some Robinho-esque moves and tries to give it to Essien. But open play results.

Second Half Kickoff- Bosingwa is coming on for Ivanovic at right-back. He should add some pace and flair to the Chelsea build up.

HALF TIME. United look like they are ready for business as the start of the EPL season is only a week away. Nani is the catalyst, with his strike in the ninth minute. Chelsea came out slow, while Man U started with a bang and were rewarded. However, as the game progressed Chelsea fought back into the game and have been troubling the Red Devils. I would be surprised not to see another goal in the second half. Both teams have settled in, and I expect more flowing football in the next 45. If it is only 45 minutes, would not be surprised to see this go into extra time. It will be interesting to see how Fergie changes things up.

46’ - Nani is teasing Lampard in Chelsea’s corner, but finally United lose possession for a Chelsea goal kick.

45’ - Malouda beats Ferdiand, crosses it far post to Drogba, but Evra does brilliantly and nods it out for a Chelsea corner. Nothing results from the corner. Two minutes of injury time.

43’ - OOF! That was a glorious strike. Nani takes the corner short, and Fletcher ends up with it at the 18 and drives a goal-bound half volley, which Cech parries over the bar. Manchester finally show their class in this game once again.

42’ - Chelsea are knocking on the door, United seem to just want to make it to the half with a lead. Patrice Evra bursts from the back, swings it in, but Terry knocks it out for a United corner.

41’ - Cole gives it to Anelka. Anelka does really well with his left foot, who drives in past Foster’s far post. Goal Kick to United.

40’ - While Chelsea came out flat, Manchester United are now looking like the struggling team. Man Utd is trying to retain possession, but to avail at the moment.

36’ - Anelka beats O’Shea 1 on 1, then has a powerful effort on goal which Rio nods over the bar for a Chelsea corner. Rooney is then caught offside.

35’ - Nani is ready for the Premier League season. He splits through the entire Chelsea defence, rounds Cech, but puts it just wide into the outside of the net.

32’ - Ben Foster looks nervous, a United pass back leads to hesitation by Foster and creates a half chance for Drogba.

31’ - Malouda to Ashley Cole, who crosses a looping ball at the far post. Essien shows his strength as he rises over the United defence and nods it just over the bar. Much better play by Chelsea.

27’ - Ashley Cole picks out Mikel, who is brought down by Berbatov. Chelsea free kick. Lampard’s strike is blocked by the wall. But Chelsea retain possession. Drogba swings in a great cross to Malouda, who fails to connect to it properly. Ancelotti looks livid, that was a golden chance. Malouda needs to do better than that.

26’ - Nani takes a United corner, but it goes straight into Cech’s hands.

24’ - Chelsea are finally getting stuck in, the game is looking to be more evenly weighted at the moment. Still back in forth football, wonderful to watch.

23’ - Anelka puts in a low cross, but Fletcher does well to clear it for a Chelsea throw in.

20’ - Berbatov has a cheeky backfeel to Nani, who plays it to Rooney. Nice passing, but no result. John O’Shea then hacks down Malouda for a Chelsea free kick.

18’ - Park and Berbatov play the ball around Mikel in midfield. Berbatov races into the box, but Cech races off the line and makes a good save. Chelsea are on their back foot so far, United have started really well.

17’ - Manchester United are in tandem, great movement from the right hand side and Park is stopped by Cech after Rooney flicks on to him. Drogba counterattacks and forces an easy save from Foster.

14’ - Ivanovic brings down Evra, and the second yellow card is shown to the Russian international. Nani swings it in, but open play results.

10’ - GOAL!!! Manchester United 1, Chelsea 0! Nani scores after nine minutes for Manchester United. He settles Fletcher’s cross outside the box, and he drives it into Cech’s far post from 23 yards. Cech should do better, but Nani is jubilant! It was a Ronaldo-esque goal.

9’ - Essien almost squeezes it through the Man U defence, but Evans cuts it out.

6’ - Chelsea wins a corner. Lampard connects with Ivanovic. Ivanovic nods it on target and forces Evra to head his effort just safely onto the bar. Unlucky for Ivanovic, that was so close!

4’ - Berbatov is already booked! First yellow card of the season four minutes in, but the card does not count for the EPL season total.

3’ -Drogba unleashes a 20 yard strike to bring an easy save from Foster.

2’ - Rooney is starting up in a attack alongside Berbatov, with Nani on the left and Park on the right in a 4-4-2. Chelsea adopt a midfield diamond.

Kickoff - First both sides’ supporters applaud Sir Bobby Robson, a true gentleman of the game.

Lineups:

Man Utd team: Foster, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov. Substitutes: Kuszczak, Owen, Giggs, Scholes, Fabio Da Silva, Valencia, Gibson

Chelsea FC team: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka. Substitutes: Hilario, Ballack, Bosingwa, Deco, Kalou, Alex, Beletti

Pregame Coverage- While Manchester United are probably the favorites tonight as the Premier League Champions, Chelsea have been in stunning preseason form. Although ‘stunning preseason form’ does seem like an oxymoron. But this is Carlo Ancelotti’s first test, and he will do everything to try to pull one over on Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson will see how is team does against great competition without Ronaldo.

United are in a little bit of trouble defensively as Edwin Van Der Sar and Nemanja Vidic are both out defensively.