THERE was an all-too familiar finale to the 2009 Community Shield as Chelsea and United again traded penalty kicks to settle their differences.
But it was a case of third-time lucky for the Blues as Petr Cech saved kicks from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra to give Carlo Ancelotti some silverware in his first big game in charge.
Chelsea fans will be hoping it is the first of many trophies..
Beaten two years ago in the same Wembley curtain-raiser when Edwin Van der Sar was between the sticks and again last May in Moscow in the altogether more important meeting in the Champions league final in Moscow, this time there was a happier ending.
And there was the chance to drown out United's goading of John Terry – the man who famously missed that crucial Champions league spot-kick.
Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba and Saloman Kalou all made no mistake with their kicks, which ended 4-1.
It should not have come to such an ending as the Blues appeared to have done enough to win the day, cancelling out a first half goal from Nani through Ricardo Carvalho and Lampard.
But as the clock ticked around into a third minute of injury time, Ryan Giggs slipped in a perfect pass for Wayne Rooney to race on to and dink past the advancing Petr Cech.
It would not have been a proper Chelsea-United fixture without a whiff of controversy. Lampard's 70 th minute goal to make it 2-1 came after a smart breakaway while Evra lay prone in the Chelsea half.
The Frenchman had been haulted by a robust and none too legal looking challenge from Ballack which incensed the United player. His team-mates were even more aggrieved that ref Chris Foy had allowed play to continue with Drogba leading a charge up the other end which set up Lampard's winner.
There is no need to look too deeply for omens in what is in reality no more than a glorified friendly, but the Blues have at least been alerted to the folly of assuming the champions will be much easier to overhaul this year following the summer departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The opening 25 minutes were chastening as United controlled possession and tempo and fashioned several openings which only the alertness of Petr Cech managed to foil.
Both Ji Sung Park and Dimitar Berbatov were kept out at close quarters thanks to the keeper's unerring reflexes and he did well to tip over a Darren Fletcher curler just before trhe break.
There was a fluidity and purpose about their approach play which Ancelotti did not get from his own players – even allowing for an early rattling of the crossbar at the United end when Evra had just enough inches in him to deflect a Branislav Ivanovic effort up on to the woodwork with his head.
But it was by no means one-way traffic after that humbling start, with both Florent Malouda – a scorer here against United in the Community Shield two years ago – and Nicolas Anelka finding space to expose weaknesses in the champions' defence.
United were in front after only 10 minutes when Nani – occupying the berth vacated by Ronaldo – shimmied inside Ivanovic on the left edge of the penalty area before drifting past Michael Essien and drilling a lot shot into the far corner.
Ivanovic was given a torrid time by both Nani and Evra in the first half and having been booked for a foul on the left back, was replaced by Jose Bosingwa at the interval.
That alone did not account for a huge improvement in Chelsea's overall play but there was generally far more menace from the men in blue after Ancelotti's half time address.
Ricardo Carvalho, one of the men expected to be on the move after last season, drew Chelsea level seven minutes into the second half with a diving header from eight yards.
The Portuguese defender found himself alone at the far post and with an empty net in front of him after keeper Ben Foster, under severe aerial pressure from Didier Drogba, could only palm the ball towards Carvalho.
Line up: Cech; Ivanovic (Bosingwa h/t), Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Essien, Mikel (Ballack 65), Lampard, Malouda (Deco 77); Anelka (Kalou 84), Drogba. Subs not used: Hilario, Alex, Belletti. Attendance: 85,896
