Chelsea have won the Community Shield after a penalty shootout win over Manchester United at Wembley, in Carlo Ancelotti's first competitive game.
We got off to a terrible start conceding inside 10 minutes, but second-half goals from Ricardo Carvalho and Frank Lampard looked enough to pull us back from behind to take some more Wembley silverware, only for Wayne Rooney to clip home an equaliser in stoppage time, forcing penalties.
It was the same way this game was decided two years ago, on that occasion United winning 3-0 after each of the Chelsea players had missed, but this time there were no mistakes.
Lampard, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou made no mistake, while Petr Cech saved from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra to bring the Shield to Stamford Bridge.
We arrived at Wembley on a sunny August afternoon with relatively few question marks surrounding the side, Carlo Ancelotti had given enough clues in recent weeks for most people to guess he would be employing a 4-4-2 diamond formation, with at least eight or nine of his first 11 already determined.
Where there was uncertainty, he picked Branislav Ivanovic at right-back alongside Carvalho, and in midfield went for Florent Malouda over Ballack and Deco.
Manchester United came south with a few problems, missing defensive stalwarts Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic, as well as Gary Neville, victim of a troublesome groin.
In their places Sir Alex Ferguson went for Ben Foster, John O' Shea and Johnny Evans, with Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov preferred to Michael Owen, benched, in attack.
The Blues kicked off attacking their own fans and quickly tested Foster's alertness as Drogba, so often a Wembley goalscorer, shot from range and forced the goalkeeper into a low save.
At the other end John Terry had to be on his toes to poke the ball away from Berbatov, who had already gone into the book for blocking Mikel's quickly-taken free-kick.
A rare mistake from United captain Rio Ferdinand almost gifted Chelsea the lead when he sent his backpass behind for a corner. From Lampard's cross, Ivanovic made contact, but Patrice Evra managed to head onto his own crossbar and the ball bounced clear.
It had been a promising start but all that came undone after nine minutes when Nani was afforded too much space around the Chelsea area.
Cutting inside Ivanovic, nobody closed the Portuguese winger down, and like his predecessor Ronaldo, the youngster knows where the goal is from 20 yards, and duly fired beyond Cech into the far corner.
Two minutes later Ivanovic's afternoon looked to be getting worse when he hauled down Evra, but managed to escape a card from ref Chris Foy. When it happened again within another two minutes, the yellow card appeared, and presented United with a real opportunity on the edge of the area from where Nani had just scored.
Only 16 minutes had passed when United twice came close to doubling their advantage, Berbatov's cross headed back across goal by Rooney and bundled towards the net by Ji-sung Park, forcing Petr Cech into a smart reflex save, before then having to beat away Berbatov's clipped effort after the Bulgarian had broken clear.
It wasn't one-way traffic though and Malouda should have equalised for Chelsea at the far post, after Ashley Cole's cross had been diverted into his pass by a superb Drogba volley.
The Frenchman had time to pick his spot as the ball fell from the air, but rather than hit the target he skewed it wide of Foster's goal and behind.
On the half-hour Essien might have levelled after Cole sent another cross into the danger area, but the Ghanaian's header was too high and United survived.
Foster was having a difficult afternoon, twice in succession Drogba closed down his hurried and untidy clearances, but twice the England goalkeeper got away with it, though you had the feeling he wouldn't should it happen again.
Nicolas Anelka had been having a quiet afternoon, but as is his way he sprang to life in an instant, finding a yard and shooting low, just past Foster's left-hand post. Prior to that he had seen one powerful effort deflected over.
At the other end Cech produced the save of the game to deny Fletcher, leaping to tip the Scotsman's curling shot over the bar and away from the top corner.
It was still Chelsea in the ascendancy though. Malouda crossed for Lampard in the final minute of normal time, but the United defender was paying close attention and nodded it over his own bar to prevent the equaliser.
That was the last action of an eventful first half, which had suggested more goals would come.
Ancelotti had things to consider at half-time, and chose to replace Ivanovic with José Bosingwa in the right-back berth.
It was his opposite full-back Cole that had work to do though, brilliantly blocking Rooney's powerful shot at the beginning of the half when it looked like the deficit would be doubled.
The next time the ball went close to a goal though, United's advantage was wiped away.
Lampard and Malouda combined to cross into the six-yard area where Drogba and Foster bravely challenged. The keeper got there first but only punched as far as Carvalho, whose diving header bounced into the empty net.
It wasn't the defender's first goal against United, he scored in the 1-1 Premier League draw at Old Trafford back in 2006/07.
It took Drogba a couple of minutes to recover from the blow he received, leaving Anelka up front alone. It didn't bother the former Arsenal man though, and again he rifled a powerful shot a Foster, who could only push it up into the skies, United eventually clearing their lines.
Injury to Nani allowed Antonio Valencia a debut for Manchester United, while Michael Ballack replaced Mikel in the Chelsea midfield, with Essien dropping into the anchor role.
It took only five minutes for Chelsea to take the lead, and in slightly controversial circumstances.
Ballack and Evra collided, leaving the United man down on the ground as Chelsea broke away. Carvalho cleared up to Drogba who turned his defender and crossed to the far post where Lampard waited, controlled and fired. Foster got a hand to it, but only enough to push it into the net via the inside of the post.
In response, Ferguson made a further four changes, taking advantage of the rule that allows six subs to be made in this game, but it was Chelsea that went close again as Drogba fired hard and low, Foster just holding on.
Ancelotti introduced Deco and Kalou in place of Malouda and Anelka as the seconds began to tick away for United.
Rooney headed over with a few minutes remaining, while sub Owen's desperation saw him earn a yellow card for a blatant handball, but there looked to be little more danger for Chelsea.
That was until Rooney, who looked offside, latched onto a through-ball and raced towards goal, clipping over the advancing Cech and forcing a penalty shootout.
That took place at the United end of the stadium, and it was Lampard who took first, firing home low into the middle of the net.
Giggs followed up for United, but Cech saved with his feet, putting us one up.
Ballack was next, firing hard and low into the bottom corner before Carrick beat Cech to make it 2-1.
Drogba repeated Ballack's spot-kick and Evra passed almost straight to Cech, making it an easy save and allowing Kalou the chance to fire the winner.
He did so with ease, picking out the top corner, and after a week when he was criticised for celebrating his birthday, he could go out again with plenty to enjoy.
And so Ancelotti kicks his Chelsea spell off in the same way as Guus Hiddink ended it, by lifting silverware at Wembley. Could it be the first of many?
By Andy Jones
Chelsea (4-4-2 diamond): Cech; Ivanovic (Bosingwa h-t), Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Mikel (Ballack 64), Essien, Malouda (Deco 77), Lampard; Drogba, Anelka (Kalou 83).
Goals Carvalho 52, Lampard 70
Booked Ivanovic 13
Penalties Lampard scored,Ballack scored, Drogba scored, Kalou scored.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Foster; O' Shea (Fabio Da Silva 75), Ferdinand (c), Evans, Evra; Park (Giggs 74), Carrick, Fletcher (Scholes 74), Nani (Valencia 62); Berbatov (Owen 74), Rooney.
Goals Nani 9, Rooney 90+1
Booked Berbatov 2, Evra 79, Owen 85
Penalties Giggs saved, Carrick scored, Evra saved.
