United on top as Chelsea count the walking wounded

LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) Manchester United's victory over an injury-hit Chelsea in the Community Shield will give Alex Ferguson a lift and Jose Mourinho a reminder of some very unhappy memories.

United triumphed 3-0 in a penalty shoot-out at Wembley on Sunday after an unusually combative showcase game finished 1-1 in the regulation 90 minutes.

Unbowed after losing 1-0 to Chelsea in May's FA Cup final, United showed plenty of the attacking flair which had wrested the Premier League title from Mourinho's men last season.

Ryan Giggs opened the scoring in the 35th minute, forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were a constant menace, while Patrice Evra made some penetrating runs down the left flank.

It was promising stuff, pending the return from injury of two United strikers, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the impending debut of a third, Carlos Tevez.

United's firepower will be further increased by two other newcomers, Brazilian midfielder Anderson and Portuguese winger Nani, a second half substitute in north London.

Add the tenacity of England holding midfielder Owen Haregreaves, who made his United debut in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, and the future looks bright for Ferguson's side.

''We've identified the potential of a couple of players who we believe will eventually develop into top players in Nani and Anderson,'' Ferguson purred.

''Tevez... has shown he could be one of the best strikers in the world.

''Hargreaves, with his experience of Europe and his speed, will definitely shore up the midfield in terms of defending, especially defending gainst a counter-attack.'' On top of that, Ferguson also has captain Gary Neville and playmaker Paul Scholes to come back from injury.

INJURY WORRIES Tackling an improved United is going to be tough. But it will be tougher still if Chelsea have another year of injuries.

Captain and defensive pillar John Terry, keeper Petr Cech and wingers Arjen Robben and Joe Cole were out for long spells last term, while Didier Drogba kept them alive with 33 goals.

It was more of the same on Sunday with Terry and Drogba among nine absentees from a game which Chelsea began without a recognised striker.

The missing comprised forwards Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko and Salomon Kalou, midfielders Claude Makelele, Arjen Robben and Michael Ballack, plus defenders Terry, Paulo Ferreira and Wayne Bridge, while Frank Lampard played with a broken toe.

Fortunately, Chelsea are a resilient side. Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel are a formidable central barrier, and there was a promising goal from new French winger Florent Malouda.

But Chelsea never really looked as if they could overpower the champions, given the resources available. The season has yet to start and Mourinho already needs his luck to change.

REUTERS TB HS1457