In a continuation of their odd preseason experiment, Manchester City employed a back three with Pablo Zabaleta as a central defender against Chelsea's 4-2-3-1 and Fernando Torres. It didn't work at all. Roberto Mancini was looking like a bit of a doofus when Torres put the ball into the back of the net, but a Branislav Ivanovic red card turned the tables. City came out roaring in the second half, and eventually went on to win 3-2.
Chelsea Vs. Manchester City, 2012 Community Shield: Final Score 3-2 As Citizens Win Humongous Platter
Torres' opener came late in the first half, following 40 minutes of fairly boring football. Much like he did in both legs of Chelsea's Champions League tie with Barcelona, Ramires decided to turn on the style late in the first half after doing a whole lot of nothing previously. He surged forward and poked the ball towards Torres, through Juan Mata, and the Spaniard placed a great finish into the back of the net.
Two minutes later, the game changed completely when Branislav Ivanovic went in high on Aleksandar Kolarov. At first glance, it looked like a yellow card-worthy challenge, but the referee saw Ivanovic’s studs go into the shin of Kolarov and showed a red card.
It didn't take long for City to take control of the match after the second half started. Yaya Toure scored the first of three stunning goals for the Citizens in the 53rd minute, blasting a low shot past Petr Cech at the near post after John Terry failed to completely clear a blocked cross.
Carlos Tevez gave Manchester City the lead with an absolutely spectacular goal, reminiscent of a time when he actually played regularly for City, scored goals and didn't act like a toddler. He took the ball off Samir Nasri on the left wing, then sprinted past two defenders with the ball at his feet, into the center of the pitch, before unleashing a right-footed drive into the top corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.
In the 65th minute, Nasri scored an insurance goal that eventually proved to be vital. Kolarov set it up with a cross from the left wing and Nasri got himself into a perfect position, finding space in the defense and providing a fantastic one-touch finish that put City up 3-1. That goal would eventually prove to be the winner.
Chelsea substitute Ryan Bertrand made the final 10 minutes of the match very interesting by scoring his first senior goal and giving his team a way back into the match, even if a comeback was always unlikely while down a man. His fellow substitute Daniel Sturridge ripped a shot from outside the area that Costel Pantilimon failed to hold on to, and Bertrand pounced to poke home the rebound.
Chelsea were understandably encouraged by the effort of their young substitutes and didn’t look much like a team that was down a man for the remainder of the match, but wasn’t able to find an equalizer. City did just enough to hang onto their one goal lead in stoppage time, capturing the Community Shield.
You can find our previous coverage of the game in our Chelsea vs. Manchester City, 2012 Community Shield StoryStream. For more on the Blues, head over to Chelsea FC blog We Ain’t Got No History. For more on the Citizens, head over to Manchester City blog Bitter And Blue. For more from around the world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.
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