Every division, except the top flight Premier League, in the English league kicked off the new season yesterday. The big boys in the Premier League don't start their campaign until next weekend.
But today was the Community Shield, traditionally played the Sunday before the new Premier League season gets underway. It is viewed as the Premier League curtain-raiser and is usually contested between the previous season's Premier League winners (the English champions) and last season's FA Cup winners.
However, Chelsea won both competitions last season so in today's Community Shield they faced Manchester United, the team who finished runners-up in last season's Premier League.
Last season was Carlo Ancelotti's first season in charge of Chelsea, and Chelsea won all three matches they played against Manchester United - the Community Shield and the two Premier League matches.
Today, at a sunny Wembley in front of a crowd of almost 85,000, there was a different outcome.
Wayne Rooney was United's lone man up front with striker Michael Owen bizarrely being ordered by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to play in midfield.
The match was an end-to-end affair, with chances at both ends of the field, both teams showing why they are the two best teams in England.
But it wasn't until just before half time that the deadlock was broken, thanks to a sublime shot from Antonio Valencia, who was set-up for the shot by Rooney.
Owen, though, just come back from injury, proved ineffective and Ferguson decided to substitute him right at the start of the second half for new boy Javier Hernandez.
Mexican Hernandez was one of just two new signings United made in pre-season - he cost just £7million from Mexican club Chivas, but he is proving what a bargain buy he is.
Having scored three goals in three games for his new team, he duly came up with the goods again by putting United 2-0 up thanks to the ball ricocheting off his face.
Salomon Kalou pulled a goal back for champions Chelsea with just seven minutes left on the clock to set up a frantic finish, but Berbatov sealed the win for the Red Devils with a goal in injury time.
Proceeds from the Community Shield game are distributed to community-based initiatives and charities around the country
Man Utd hold off Chelsea to win Shield
By Paul Fletcher
BBC Sport at Wembley
VS
Chelsea 1-3 Manchester United
Kalou 83...............Valencia 41
...............................Hernandez 76
...............................Berbatov 90
(At Wembley. Attendance: 84,623)
Chelsea: Hilario, Paulo Ferreira (Bruma 79), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole (Zhirkov 79), Essien, Lampard, Mikel (Drogba 60), Kalou, Anelka (Sturridge 60), Malouda (Benayoun 72).
Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Van Aanholt.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Jonathan Evans, Vidic, Fabio Da Silva (Smalling 71), Valencia, Scholes (Fletcher 80), Carrick (Giggs 79), Park (Nani 46), Owen (Hernandez 46), Rooney (Berbatov 46).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak.
Victory: Manchester United have won the Community Shield at Wembley
They all count: United new boy Hernandez scored - as is evident by the scoreboard in the background - by kicking ball into his own face.
Manchester United inflicted their first defeat on Chelsea since the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as Blues boss to win the Community Shield and lay down a marker for the new season.
Ancelotti's team ended the last campaign as Premier League and FA Cup champions - inflicting home and away league defeats on United in the process, as well as winning the Community Shield.
But they had no answer to a United team inspired by the evergreen Paul Scholes, who controlled the contest from midfield with a superb passing display.
Warm welcome: it's all smiles before the match kicks off
On an afternoon when England's World Cup flops were booed by the vast majority of the 84,623 inside Wembley, Wayne Rooney played a superb low pass for Antonio Valencia's opening goal.
United received a further fillip when new signing Javier Hernandez scored a somewhat fortuitous goal after coming on as a half-time substitute.
Chelsea, who found Edwin van der Sar in impressive form, pulled a goal back late on through Salomon Kalou after the Dutch keeper had made a brilliant one-handed save from substitute Daniel Sturridge.
But substitute Dimitar Berbatov extinguished any slim hopes of a Chelsea comeback with an exquisite lob from Nani's cute pass in the final minute to complete a successful afternoon for Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Lunge: Paul Scholes brings down Florent Malouda with a typical miss-timed challenge
Greetings: Chelsea supporters make their feelings known to Wayne Rooney
The match enjoyed a particularly lively opening period, during which both teams had clear chances to open the scoring.
Valencia did not put enough purchase on an attempted lob, while Scholes wastefully - and somewhat uncharacteristically - volleyed well wide after he had been picked out completely unmarked 16 yards from goal.
Chelsea, with Nicolas Anelka at the tip of an attacking trio that also comprised Florent Malouda and Kalou, quickly responded.
Van der Sar, with a rare handling error, failed to hold a long-range strike from Anelka, but Kalou could not convert the rebound from a tight angle.
Back of the net: Antonio Valencia opens the scoring for Manchester United
Superman: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic dives to head the ball off the line
If the Dutch keeper had been less than assured with Anelka's strike, he was simply sensational as he palmed clear a goal-bound header from Branislav Ivanovic with one hand.
On a warm Wembley afternoon, the tempo noticeably dipped as the opening half wore on, but there was still a series of breathtaking passes from Scholes to savour.
His deft chip played Rooney through but the striker could not find the target from an acute angle, while several times the veteran midfielder caught left-back Cole out of position with raking cross-field passes.
From one of them, Rooney played a precise first-time cross that Valencia converted for the opening goal four minutes before the break.
Strike back: Salomon Kalou nets for Chelsea to set up a frantic finish
Seal the deal: But Dimitar Berbatov lobs Hilario to claim victory for United
Chelsea, who defeated Portsmouth to win the FA Cup on their previous trip to Wembley in May, responded after the restart, with Malouda and the fit-again Michael Essien shooting narrowly wide from long distance, while Van der Sar denied Kalou and Cole, who was later booed from the field as he was substituted.
United had made a triple change at the break - with Hernandez soon into his stride on his first major outing since joining from Mexican side Guadalajara.
The diminutive forward showcased a series of flicks and spins, as well as a speed and willingness to create space.
Job well done: England manager Fabio Capello congratulates United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
But he was lucky with his goal, snatching at a Valencia cross only for the ball to strike him flush in the face before deflecting into the net.
Chelsea responded, with Van der Sar twice denying the lively Sturridge but unable to prevent Kalou from slotting home a rebound.
It looked as though the Blues might find an equaliser but the prospect of a fourth penalty shoot-out in as many years ended with Berbatov's crafty lobbed finish in injury-time.
Winning feeling: Nemanja Vidic holds aloft the Community Shield
news.bbc.co.uk/sport
But today was the Community Shield, traditionally played the Sunday before the new Premier League season gets underway. It is viewed as the Premier League curtain-raiser and is usually contested between the previous season's Premier League winners (the English champions) and last season's FA Cup winners.
However, Chelsea won both competitions last season so in today's Community Shield they faced Manchester United, the team who finished runners-up in last season's Premier League.
Last season was Carlo Ancelotti's first season in charge of Chelsea, and Chelsea won all three matches they played against Manchester United - the Community Shield and the two Premier League matches.
Today, at a sunny Wembley in front of a crowd of almost 85,000, there was a different outcome.
Wayne Rooney was United's lone man up front with striker Michael Owen bizarrely being ordered by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to play in midfield.
The match was an end-to-end affair, with chances at both ends of the field, both teams showing why they are the two best teams in England.
But it wasn't until just before half time that the deadlock was broken, thanks to a sublime shot from Antonio Valencia, who was set-up for the shot by Rooney.
Owen, though, just come back from injury, proved ineffective and Ferguson decided to substitute him right at the start of the second half for new boy Javier Hernandez.
Mexican Hernandez was one of just two new signings United made in pre-season - he cost just £7million from Mexican club Chivas, but he is proving what a bargain buy he is.
Having scored three goals in three games for his new team, he duly came up with the goods again by putting United 2-0 up thanks to the ball ricocheting off his face.
Salomon Kalou pulled a goal back for champions Chelsea with just seven minutes left on the clock to set up a frantic finish, but Berbatov sealed the win for the Red Devils with a goal in injury time.
Proceeds from the Community Shield game are distributed to community-based initiatives and charities around the country
Man Utd hold off Chelsea to win Shield
By Paul Fletcher
BBC Sport at Wembley
Chelsea 1-3 Manchester United
Kalou 83...............Valencia 41
...............................Hernandez 76
...............................Berbatov 90
(At Wembley. Attendance: 84,623)
Chelsea: Hilario, Paulo Ferreira (Bruma 79), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole (Zhirkov 79), Essien, Lampard, Mikel (Drogba 60), Kalou, Anelka (Sturridge 60), Malouda (Benayoun 72).
Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Van Aanholt.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Jonathan Evans, Vidic, Fabio Da Silva (Smalling 71), Valencia, Scholes (Fletcher 80), Carrick (Giggs 79), Park (Nani 46), Owen (Hernandez 46), Rooney (Berbatov 46).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak.
Victory: Manchester United have won the Community Shield at Wembley
They all count: United new boy Hernandez scored - as is evident by the scoreboard in the background - by kicking ball into his own face.
Manchester United inflicted their first defeat on Chelsea since the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as Blues boss to win the Community Shield and lay down a marker for the new season.
Ancelotti's team ended the last campaign as Premier League and FA Cup champions - inflicting home and away league defeats on United in the process, as well as winning the Community Shield.
But they had no answer to a United team inspired by the evergreen Paul Scholes, who controlled the contest from midfield with a superb passing display.
Warm welcome: it's all smiles before the match kicks off
On an afternoon when England's World Cup flops were booed by the vast majority of the 84,623 inside Wembley, Wayne Rooney played a superb low pass for Antonio Valencia's opening goal.
United received a further fillip when new signing Javier Hernandez scored a somewhat fortuitous goal after coming on as a half-time substitute.
Chelsea, who found Edwin van der Sar in impressive form, pulled a goal back late on through Salomon Kalou after the Dutch keeper had made a brilliant one-handed save from substitute Daniel Sturridge.
But substitute Dimitar Berbatov extinguished any slim hopes of a Chelsea comeback with an exquisite lob from Nani's cute pass in the final minute to complete a successful afternoon for Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Lunge: Paul Scholes brings down Florent Malouda with a typical miss-timed challenge
Greetings: Chelsea supporters make their feelings known to Wayne Rooney
The match enjoyed a particularly lively opening period, during which both teams had clear chances to open the scoring.
Valencia did not put enough purchase on an attempted lob, while Scholes wastefully - and somewhat uncharacteristically - volleyed well wide after he had been picked out completely unmarked 16 yards from goal.
Chelsea, with Nicolas Anelka at the tip of an attacking trio that also comprised Florent Malouda and Kalou, quickly responded.
Van der Sar, with a rare handling error, failed to hold a long-range strike from Anelka, but Kalou could not convert the rebound from a tight angle.
Back of the net: Antonio Valencia opens the scoring for Manchester United
Superman: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic dives to head the ball off the line
If the Dutch keeper had been less than assured with Anelka's strike, he was simply sensational as he palmed clear a goal-bound header from Branislav Ivanovic with one hand.
On a warm Wembley afternoon, the tempo noticeably dipped as the opening half wore on, but there was still a series of breathtaking passes from Scholes to savour.
His deft chip played Rooney through but the striker could not find the target from an acute angle, while several times the veteran midfielder caught left-back Cole out of position with raking cross-field passes.
From one of them, Rooney played a precise first-time cross that Valencia converted for the opening goal four minutes before the break.
Strike back: Salomon Kalou nets for Chelsea to set up a frantic finish
Seal the deal: But Dimitar Berbatov lobs Hilario to claim victory for United
Chelsea, who defeated Portsmouth to win the FA Cup on their previous trip to Wembley in May, responded after the restart, with Malouda and the fit-again Michael Essien shooting narrowly wide from long distance, while Van der Sar denied Kalou and Cole, who was later booed from the field as he was substituted.
United had made a triple change at the break - with Hernandez soon into his stride on his first major outing since joining from Mexican side Guadalajara.
The diminutive forward showcased a series of flicks and spins, as well as a speed and willingness to create space.
Job well done: England manager Fabio Capello congratulates United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
But he was lucky with his goal, snatching at a Valencia cross only for the ball to strike him flush in the face before deflecting into the net.
Chelsea responded, with Van der Sar twice denying the lively Sturridge but unable to prevent Kalou from slotting home a rebound.
It looked as though the Blues might find an equaliser but the prospect of a fourth penalty shoot-out in as many years ended with Berbatov's crafty lobbed finish in injury-time.
Winning feeling: Nemanja Vidic holds aloft the Community Shield
news.bbc.co.uk/sport