City 2 United 3

There was little evidence early on of charitable spirit in this Community Shield clash, as players from both teams flew into tackles on a surface made slippery by a heavy dose of rain just after kick-off. Nemanja Vidic and Mario Balotelli squared up to each other for the briefest of moments before Edin Dzeko and Anderson both earned bookings after they were involved in a shoving match following a late challenge by the Bosnian.

Barely a minute later, Micah Richards lunged in on Ashley Young and was perhaps lucky to escape with only a yellow card. Wayne Rooney couldn't inflict further punishment; his free-kick whizzed just over the crossbar.

Welbeck and Nani then combined to unlock the City defence, although Welbeck's final ball across goal was cut out by a Blues defender. The young striker then headed tamely into Joe Hart's arms as United looked to turn early dominance into goals.

A number of niggly fouls disrupted the game's flow around the half-hour mark and fuelled the already hot atmosphere inside the stadium. One infringement resulted in a United free-kick 30 yards from goal, which almost made its way into the bottom corner via a deflection off the end of the Blues' wall. Another handed City the lead on 38 minutes.

It was David Silva's teasing left-footed delivery from the right wing that did the damage. It curled over Vidic but in front of Rio Ferdinand,