Manchester City claim Community Shield

13 Aug 2012, 12:53 am   -   Source: Reuters

With Wembley busy with Olympic duties, Birmingham's Villa Park hosted the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season, which pitted league champions City against FA Cup and Champions League winners Chelsea, a week out from the start of the Premier League.

With Wembley busy with Olympic duties, Birmingham's Villa Park hosted the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season, which pitted league champions City against FA Cup and Champions League winners Chelsea, a week out from the start of the Premier League.

Chelsea have spent more than 60 million pounds over the close season while City's only major activity has been the likely purchase of Everton's Jack Rodwell, which came to light hours before kickoff.

However goals from Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri within the space of 12 second-half minutes proved they have more than enough firepower already.

They were helped by the first-half dismissal of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic for a challenge on Aleksandar Kolarov.

City, employing a new 3-4-3 formation, started the brightest and it was somewhat against the run of play when Chelsea opened the scoring five minutes before halftime when Fernando Torres scored with the outside of his foot after a jinking run by Ramires.

It did not take City long to take advantage of their numerical superiority after Ivanovic's red with Toure, Tevez and Nasri putting their side two goals up with some clinical finishing.

Ryan Bertrand, a replacement for lively new signing Eden Hazard, pulled a goal back for the European champions on 80 minutes, reacting fastest when City keeper Costel Pantilimon failed to hold a shot from Daniel Sturridge, but it was too little too late for the Londoners.

(Reporting by Josh Reich)

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