Chelsea 1 United 3: Player ratings
Peter Spencer - August 09, 2010


Edwin Van der Sar: Lucky to escape 7th minute blunder when trying to clear. The oldest player on the park at 39, proved he's lost none of his agility. Considering Chelsea’s fire power you would have expected him to have had a busier time. Classy save against sub Sturridge and couldn't be faulted for Chelsea's consolation. 6 :-?

John O'Shea: No sign of last season's injury problems and was confident enough to get forward regularly. Must have expected a tougher game. Stood up to be counted as Chelsea pressed late on. 6

Vidic: Chosen ahead of Rooney as skipper. Might have something to do with those pictures of early morning antics or simply that Rooney only played half a match. As usual the tough guy United feared might go to Real Madrid hardly put a foot wrong much to frustration of Chelsea and in particular Anelka. 8

Jonathan Evans: Crunch time for the Northern Ireland ace who because of Ferdinand's on-going injury problems, has a superb chance to make himself a first choice starter. Solid enough alongside the dominant Vidic but needs to concentrate for the whole 90 minutes. 7

Fabio Da Silva: Neat and tidy and proved once again that with even more experience against high-calibre opponents such as Chelsea he will be even better. Tough task replacing class act Evra and didn't let anyone down. 7

Valencia: Got on the score-sheet five minutes before the break with an effort that brought back memories of Captain Marvel himself, Bryan Robson, coming late with a lung-busting run to latch on to Rooney's near perfect cross. Deserves the glory after keeping himself involved with a highly effective input. 8

Carrick: The shock starter showed he meant business as the battle for midfield began in earnest. He'd been ruled out for a fortnight by Fergie just 48 hours before kick off and although he did train on Saturday his selection raised eyebrows. One of his best performances for some time – and so timely at the start of a milestone season for him. 7

Scholes: Went for glory trying to volley a Valencia cross but the maestro's effort was well over the bar. Played a vital role in the Valencia opener by superbly picking out Rooney wide on the right before he beat Cole to cross early. No wonder he was belatedly wanted for England in South Africa. Quick-thinking at free-kick almost led to a second soon after break. Ran the show. 9

Park Ji-Sung: His pace perfectly dovetails with veteran Scholes' game. His energy unsettles opponents. He can consider himself unlucky to have got only half a game but then Fergie knows exactly what he's going to get from Mr Perpetual Motion. 7

Owen: Started alongside Rooney in what was his first competitive appearance since injuring his hamstring at the same venue in February's Carling Cup final. Yesterday, boosted by his goal in Dublin, showed some neat touches as he looks to kickstart his stalled career. 6

Rooney: Desperate to put his nightmare summer behind him but has to be careful not to try to do too much. Fantastic how he made a complete fool of supposedly the best left back in the world to play the sort of ball Valencia would have found more difficult to miss. 7

Substitutes

Hernandez (for Rooney 45): Fergie might just have found United a little gem. It is fine putting on a show on tour but this was close to the real deal against the champions at Wembley. He wasn't overawed and although his goal was fortunate as it bounced back off himself he had to be in the right place in the first place. 7

Berbatov (for Owen 45): He looked like he was enjoying himself and set up Hernandez just before the Mexican youngster's goal. He was all smiles in injury time when he took advantage of Chelsea gaps in defence to score with a delightful lob. 8

Nani (for Park 45): Expected more especially after he missed the World Cup with Portugal. Still he's turned around his United career. Set up late Berbatov spectacular. 6

Smalling (for Fabio 70): Great to get experience at this level under his belt. Good move to have him into the fray early. 6

Giggs (for Scholes 80) and Fletcher (for Carrick 80) – not enough time to be marked

not used: Kuszczak

BATTLE OF THE BOSSES: Sir Alex mixed and matched his team to keep Carlo Ancelotti guessing. Replacing two strikers with another pair who were just as effective, brings back memories of '99 trebles!

Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands): Won't be in the headlines so that makes it a great afternoon's work. Did very well to keep flow going. 8