United succumb to Blues revival

PERHAPS the time has come for the FA to rename their prize shield: on the basis of this spiteful evidence, any semblance of community spirit has long since evaporated where Manchester United and Chelsea are concerned.

The antics of Michael Ballack and Patrice Evra and a predictably volcanic reaction from Alex Ferguson ensured the new season opened with the most sulphurous of bangs yesterday, but even when the acrid smoke had cleared, the implications were hard to decipher.

Chelsea can take heart from yet another display of resolute bloody-mindedness, which saw United’s early lead overhauled in the second half and Wayne Rooney’s gut-wrenching last- gasp equaliser shrugged off in the penalty shoot-out.

Carlo Ancelotti will have known of Chelsea’s character, but here the evidence was laid bare before his own eyes. It was, as he put it, a “psychologically important” performance.

Yet, while the silverware went to Chelsea and John Terry – who was clasped noisily to the bosom of the west London faithful, despite his outrageous flirtations with Manchester City – the plaudits deserved to be shared with United.

This has been an unusually unsettled summer at Old Trafford, with the ‘Famous Four’ slashed in half by the defections of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez and a conspicuous lack of marquee names to replace them.

There have been dark whisperings over how Ferguson can possibly hope to replace such talents and how there has been a palpable power shift towards Anfield and Stamford Bridge.

Those doomsday scenarios look fanciful. United were palpably superior to Chelsea for most of the first half and displayed a coherence and balance which was occasionally lacking when Ronaldo was bending the team’s formation to his own will last season.

The Portuguese was not missed and there was even a moment of Iberian brilliance to rival anything Ronaldo produced in the ninth minute, when Nani – whose form flickered infuriatingly last season – scooped up Darren Fletcher’s pass, cut inside Branislav Ivanovic and curled a delightful shot into the far corner.

On this form, Nani will be missed as he recuperates from his dislocated shoulder – sustained in a collision with John Terry early in the second half – although he was not the only United forward to blossom.

Rooney, as usual, was all sweat and snarl, while even Dimitar Berbatov appeared to revel in the extra responsibility loaded onto his slim shoulders.

A slick exchange in the 16th minute allowed Berbatov to break clear of Ashley Cole and sweep a deep cross to Rooney at the back post. The England striker nodded back into the six-yard box for Park to stab goalwards but a sprawling Petr Cech turned his shot around the post.

Moments later, Park turned provider, ripping Chelsea’s defence open with a canny pass and setting Berbatov clear, only for his firm shot to be scooped away by Cech’s outstretched left hand.

United trooped off for the interval with a spring in their step, but they should have been wary. Chelsea are nothing if not resilient and they, too, had sparked moments of panic in the United area, Evra nodding Ivanovic’s bundled effort onto the underside of the crossbar in the fifth minute.

United goalkeeper Ben Foster had looked uncertain then and he crumbled completely in the second period. The England hopeful fluffed a series of clearances and gifted Chelsea an equaliser in the 51st minute, punching Florent Malouda’s cross onto the head of Ricardo Carvalho, who directed the ball into the bottom corner.

Chelsea had the momentum, but it took a moment of controversy to edge them ahead as Ancelotti’s side played on with Evra on the floor following a body-check from Ballack. The loose ball was clumped upfield to Drogba, who teed up Lampard for a trademark finish from the edge of the area.

There was still time for another twist, Rooney breaking clear and clipping past Cech, but the penalty shoot-out failed to match the drama of what had come before.

Ryan Giggs and Evra both missed limply, while Lampard, Ballack and Drogba all scored with ease. It was left to Salomon Kalou to strike the decisive blow, although the final word belonged to the irate Ferguson.