London: Goals from Antonio Valencia after 41 minutes and Javier Hernandez`s first for his new club after 76 gave United control in the third Shield match between English football`s current "big two" in the last four seasons.
Dimitar Berbatov, on as a late substitute, lobbed in United`s third in stoppage time after a clever ball from Nani which summed up United`s slicker passing and movement with the start of the new Premier League campaign six days away.
Salomon Kalou had pulled one back for Chelsea six minutes from time when Edwin van der Sar, outstanding after a shaky start, could only parry a shot from Daniel Sturridge during a late rally by the champions who have now lost five of their seven pre-season games.
The Community Shield is rarely a pointer to the battles to come over the next nine months but is always a game the competing managers want to win and Sunday`s victory gave United manager Alex Ferguson the 45th trophy of his managerial career -- the 35th he has brought to United at the start of his 25th season as their manager.The other winners on the day were the Wembley groundstaff who appear to have solved the pitch problems that have dogged the stadium since it re-opened in 2007.
Unusually neither team fielded any new signings at kickoff, with Chelsea`s main summer import Yossi Benayoun and United`s Mexican striker Hernandez both on the bench.
While the players were all totally familiar to the fans, some were less popular than others and four of the England squad who flopped at the World Cup - Chelsea`s John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard and United`s Wayne Rooney -- were jeered and booed by opposing fans in the early stages.
The booing subsided after a while -- apart from those directed at the always unpopular Cole -- because United`s fans began to have something to cheer about as Paul Scholes dominated in midfield and, along with Ji-Sung Park, helped United take control.
Scholes should have done better with a skied shot after nine minutes and Rooney went close before setting up their opener after a superb pass from Scholes four minutes before the break.Valencia took the chance excellently but there was little joy for Michael Owen, back at Wembley for the first time since he seriously injured his hamstring there in the League Cup final in February.
Ferguson replaced Owen and Rooney at halftime as promised, with United fans getting their first glimpse of Hernandez, the 22-year-old Mexican striker tipped as a United star of the future.
He did not disappoint either, doubling the score with a bizarre finish as he met a low cross and sent it into the net via his foot and face.
Chelsea rallied in the closing stages after Sturridge and Didier Drogba came on but the champions, who beat United on penalties to lift the Community Shield last season, failed to impress.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will want to see them sharpen up next week before they began the defence of their title against West Bromwich Albion.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.