sportsinfo.: Chelsea 2 Manchester City 3: First blood to champions as Mancini's men edge feisty clash

As the Olympics reached a thundering climax in London, the football season snuck in almost unnoticed through the side door.

The Community Shield did at least provide us with a decent game, though, and for that we should all be thankful.
Manchester City, helped by the first-half sending-off of Branislav Ivanovic, have another trophy to take home to the Etihad Stadium. Chelsea, meanwhile, approached the season with the chance to win seven competitions but will now have to downgrade to six.

Off the mark: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany lifts the Community Shield

We'll drink to that: Nigel De Jong (left) and Carlos Tevez party on the pitch at Villa Park

Out of the blocks: Samir Nasri is mobbed after scoring Man City's third goal

Put your shirt on it: Carlos Tevez paid tribute to his home in Argentina after scoring the second (left)

MATCH FACTS

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech 6; Ivanovic 5, Luiz 5, Terry 6, Cole 7; Mikel 5, Lampard 6; Hazard 6 (Bertrand 71min, 7), Mata 7 (Sturridge 74, 6), Ramires 7; Torres 7.
Subs not used: Turnbull, Cahill, Essien, Meireles, Piazon.
Scorers: Torres 40, Bertrand 79.
Booked: Ramires, Lampard, Cole, Bertrand, Luiz.
Sent off: Ivanovic.
Manchester City (3-5-2): Pantilimon 5; Savic 5 (Clichy 45, 6), Kompany 7, Zabaleta 7; Milner 7, Y Toure 8, De Jong 7, Nasri 7 (Silva 76), Kolarov 7; Tevez 7 (Dzeko 88), Aguero 7.
Subs not used: Johansen, K Toure, Johnson, Razak.
Scorers: Toure 53, Tevez 59, Nasri 65.
Booked: Savic, Kompany, Pantilimon.
Man of the match: Yaya Toure.
Referee: Kevin Friend 7.
Attendance: 36,394.

Certainly Ivanovic’s dismissal helped to shape this game. Chelsea were leading by a Fernando Torres goal on an afternoon that was at that point short of drama when the Chelsea defender — who has some previous — slid his studs into Aleksandar Kolarov’s ankle moments before half-time.
Referee Kevin Friend didn’t hesitate to send off the Serbia defender and from that point on the territory, the impetus and, ultimately, the game belonged to City.
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had all 22 players remained on the field. It may have provided us with more of a marker for the season to come.
As it was, City moved through the gears in the second half to disable Chelsea’s challenge and secure victory with three very good goals. ‘We were certainly better after the sending off,’ conceded City manager Roberto Mancini. ‘I can’t deny that it helped us. It was easier after that and we played better.’
Given all that has gone on in London over the last fortnight, this game had a peculiar look to it at the start. The fact it took place at a less-than-full Villa Park didn’t help.
Early on it threatened to live down to expectations. Chelsea’s new signing Eden Hazard looked lively at times but then fell over when attempting a backheel. For a while that was a highlight.
Happily things soon improved and in the 40th minute Chelsea’s Brazilian Ramires skipped past Pablo Zabaleta and passed to Torres, who controlled the ball with his right foot and scored expertly with his left.
It was a lead that Chelsea perhaps deserved. City at this point were only fitfully fluent.

Clinical: Fernando Torres clipped home the opening goal for Chelsea

Main man: Torres is mobbed by his team-mates as he attempts to fill Didier Drogba's boots

Wild: Branislav Ivanovic was sent off for this lunge on Aleksandar Kolarov

Off you go: Chelsea appeals to referee Kevin Friend were ignored after Ivanovic's foul

Nevertheless Ivanovic’s dismissal proved too much for Chelsea to cope with in the second half. David Luiz remains a problem for them at centre half and he was a liability when faced with a monopoly of City possession after the interval. Just in front of him, John Mikel Obi was not much better.
The dam, such as it was, burst in the 53rd minute when the imperious Yaya Toure drove a fierce shot into the corner after John Terry had only partially cleared. Twelve minutes later it was 3-1 and the game was over.
There was something to admire in each of the goals but Carlos Tevez’s strike to make it 2-1 was perhaps the pick.
Enthusiasts should be careful before they get too carried away with Tevez’s pre-season form. He remains capricious and unpredictable.
Nevertheless he does look fit, ready and eager at the moment and his right-foot shot into the top corner from 18 yards just before the hour was one of his best in City colours.

Hitting back: Yaya Toure crashed the ball home to level matters after half-time

Take that: Tevez arrowed his effort into the top corner to hand City the lead

It served to deflate Chelsea, too. With half an hour left they already looked as though they felt they couldn’t win and when Samir Nasri stretched to convert a Kolarov cross in the 65th minute it briefly looked as though they might succumb to an avalanche.
As it turned out City could not score again. Sergio Aguero did shoot wide of a gaping net in the final minute following a James Milner cut-back but by then Chelsea had scored with one of their few second-half attacks, Ryan Bertrand converting after the champions’ goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon had spilled a low shot from Daniel Sturridge.

Delight: Samir Nasri makes it 3-1 for City at Villa Park as they closed in on victory

Pointing the way: Nasri was pleased to put his name on the scoresheet

At times the game threatened to become nasty. There were eight bookings and Frank Lampard and Ramires were fortunate not to pick up two each.
Terry, meanwhile, was subjected to constant abuse by City supporters and a man dressed as Zippy from Rainbow was thrown out by stewards at half-time.
Proof, if it were needed, that the Olympic spirit has not yet permeated the thick skin of our national game.