Manchester United take on Leicester in the Community Shield final match in London today.
Atmosphere already building around Wembley ahead of 4pm kick-off for the first competitive match of the season.
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3.30: Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of today’s Community/Charity/Call It What You Want Shield between the Premier League champions Leicester City and the FA Cup holders Manchester United…
3.33: I’m Gavin Newsham and I am determined not to use the phrase ‘curtain raiser’ at all this afternoon.
3.34: Damn.
3.39: But enough of my pathetic intentions. Let’s get all the team news from Wembley Stadium this afternoon where Leicester drop Andy King into midfield to replace the departed N’Golo Kante. Miss that guy. LEICESTER: Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, King, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy
3.40: As for United they welcome back Luke Shaw to the starting XI but there’s no place for Marcus Rashford. Curse you Jose! UNITED: De Gea, Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw, Carrick, Fellaini, Lingard, Rooney, Martial, Ibrahimovic
3.47: So here we are then. The Euros are done and dusted, the Olympics are under way, Newcastle fans are already grumpy and Garry Monk’s job is hanging in the balance. All of which means it’s high time that the top tier joined the party. Please be upstanding then for Leicester City and Manchester United! Actually, don’t get up just yet. They’re not ready…
3.51: All manner of flames and fireworks going off in the stadium at the moment, entirely inappropriate for a game of such little consequence. Anyway, Leicester are in the tunnel, waiting for United to appear. Just get on with it Jose. So tiresome, isn’t he? Referee Craig Pawson isn’t best pleased. Don’t blame him.
3.55: And here come the two teams, led out by Craig Pawson. Shame, I was hoping for Jon Moss to come in and cock it right up. Oh well. Anyway, this should be a corker. Enjoy…
3.56: Just a moment for the teams to be presented to Alan Birchenall and Sir Bobby Charlton and we’ll have the national anthem. Once that’s over, we’ll be good to go…
3.59: Ah, the last time I heard the national anthem was just before England played Iceland. Such lovely memories. Those were the days…
4.02: Just a quick query before we kick off but how the hell is Marouane Fellaini in the starting line-up for United? Jose’s lost it. Anyway, Craig Pawson has blown his whistle and WE ARE OFF AT WEMBLEY!!!
4.04: Things Fans Say At The Community Shield #1: ‘Pitch looks good…’
4.06: I want to see this classic dust-up from the 1974 Charity Shield recreated today but with Jamie Vardy and Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking the roles of Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner. I’d pay to watch that.
4.08: First burst of energy from Jamie Vardy there as he powers into the United box but has the ball whipped off his toes by Daley Blind. The Dutchman also takes a knock to his knee for his troubles too. That’ll teach him.
4.10: I watched Zootropolis with the nippers last night and noticed this familiar name in the closing credits. No, not Nathan Engelhardt. Route one, no-nonsense, take no prisoners animation if you ask me…
4.13: All hail the first shot of the match! And it’s Anthony Martial who takes it, driving hard at Danny Simpson down the Leicester right before spearing a shot into the side netting.
4.15: And another effort from United as a long, looping cross from Luke Shaw is met by the balding pate of Wayne Rooney. He does well to direct his header on target but it’s a simple save for Kasper Schmeichel and his giant hands.
4.17: FACT ME! The only previous Wembley match between these two teams was the FA Cup final in 1963, in which Manchester United won 3-1. Michael Carrick played in that one too.
4.19: United are edging ever closer here as Marouane Fellaini spins and swings his right-boot at a shot from 14 yards or so. Again Schmeichel is there to keep it out but Mourinho’s men are certainly on top here.
4.21: Nice to see Michael Owen back in the BT box again today. Tell a lie…
4.27: FACT ME! United have appeared in more Shield matches (30) and won the trophy more times (20 – 16 outright and four shared) than any other club. Leicester will also be the Reds’ 14th different Shield opponents.
4.29: The champions are growing in confidence here as Jamie Vardy asks more questions of the United defence. Questions like: “Can you, Eric Bailly, make a last ditch tackle to deny me a shot at goal?” to which the Ivorian answers: ‘Yes, I can.”
4.33: Give us a Z…
4.35: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!
4.36: Jesse Lingard, the man who won the FA Cup for United back in May, bursts through the centre, rides a really poor tackle from Wes Morgan and then slips a cool finish past Kasper Schmeichel and into the corner. It’s a goal this game badly needed. LEICESTER 0 MAN UTD 1
4.40: Half a chance for Andy King there as he nips in at the front post to glance a header over the bar. That seems to be their default set-piece move at the moment and it’s bringing them some joy too, a bit like a Kit-Kat does for me in the mid-afternoon.
4.44: BOOKING! These games are never really ones for yellow cards but that’s what Leicester’s Danny Simpson’s got as he upends Wayne Rooney as the United skipper uses what’s left of his pace to go past him.
4.46: You big Jesse…
4.49: And that’s your half-time whistle! Go and grab some snacks and a quick snifter and we’ll be back shortly. HT: LEICESTER 0 MAN UTD 1
5.00: So Mancheshunited (as ALan Hansen would call them) shaded that first half and thanks to that lovely solo goal from Jesse Lingard they take a narrow lead into this second period. Remember that there’s no extra time today and each team is also allowed six substitutes so expect a glut of changes in the coming half.
5.04: The teams are back out and Leicester will be bringing record signing Ahmed Musa and Demarai Gray on. Okazaki and Albrighton make way. Right, ready to go? So is Craig Pawson. PEEP! WE ARE OFF AGAIN!!!
5.07: First free-kick of the second period there as Michael Carrick’s ageing legs can’t match that quick feet of Jamie Vardy and he brings him down, the cad.
5.11: Shout out for United’s new defender Eric Bailly. He’s looked very promising today.
5.13: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!
5.14: It’s JAMIE VARDY who levels matters, latching on to a stinker of backpass from Marouane Fellaini before rounding David De Gea and slotting home from a tight angle. Lovely finish but Fellaini??? What do managers see in him? Really? LEICESTER 1 MAN UTD 1
5.16: BOOKING! No complaints with that latest yellow card as Andy King scythes down Jesse Lingard and goes in Craig Pawson’s book of bad boys.
5.18: Looks like a change on the cards for United and it’s Ander Herrera who’ll be entering the fray. If it’s not Fellaini that’s being hooked I’ll be astonished.
5.22: And it’s not! It’s Michael Carrick. Leicester will also be making a couple more changes too it seems.
5.23: And it’s King and Simpson making way for new boys Mendy and Hernandez. Jesse Lingard is also departing, hobbling off to be replaced by Juan Mata.
5.27: Give him another new contract!
5.30: A minute’s applause in the 66th minute in recognition of England’s World Cup win back in 1966 now. They should have had a minute’s booing in the 16th minute for the clowns that let everyone down in France this summer. In other news, United swap Martial for Rashford and Shaw for Rojo. Good to see Luke Shaw back in business. Great player.
5.31: BOOKING! And it’s a yellow card for Eric Bailly for his latest shove. This time it’s on Jamie Vardy and he’s the boss at winning free-kicks in those situations. A little naive.
5.34: Nice to hear the traditional cry of ‘You’re ****, arghhhhhhhhhh!!!” ringing out across the spiritual home of football as David De Gea takes a goal kick. Never loses it’s impact, does it?
5.36: BOOKING! Horrible lunging tackle from Jamie Vardy on Juan Mata sees him go into Craig Dawson’s book. That could have been very nasty.
5.38: I’m not sure how Eric Bailly is still on the pitch. He’s just leapt, a la Harold Schumacher in 1982, straight into Demarai Gray, with the ball nowhere in sight and got away with it. That’s a shocker. He was great in the first half but he’s looked decidedly dodgy in the second period.
5.40: Half a chance for Zlatan there but he duffs his close-range shot, allowing Danny Drinkwater to hack it clear. Meanwhile, Jeff Schlupp’s on for Christian Fuchs.
5.41: Ten minutes for someone to score and stop this going to penalties…
5.42: Textbook long-throw from Leicester that’s flicked on by Robert Huth but then turned over by the head of Ahmed Musa. He’s got to score there. Well, he hasn’t ‘got to’. It’s entirely up to him.
5.43: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!
5.44: HAIL ZLATAN! The big man comes up trumps, heading Antonio Valencia’s lovely cross back across goal and in off the far post. Great leap from the super Swede! LEICESTER 1 MAN UTD 2
5.46: It’s typical Ibrahimovic. I’ve done more than him in this game so far but there is in the right place at the right time to nod United ahead and now Leicester have just four minutes to salvage this.
5.48: Another change for United now as Wayne Rooney exits and Morgan Schneiderlin comes on.
5.50: Final change for the Foxes with Leo Ulloa on for Robert Huth. Looks like Henrikh Mkhitaryan might get several seconds on the pitch soon too.
5.52: Four minutes of the added stuff as Mkhitaryan comes on for the substitute Juan Mata. I hope that’s an injury to the Spaniard and not just spitefulness from Jose.
5.56: ALL OVER! MANCHESTER UNITED WIN THE COMMUNITY SHIELD!
5.56: FT: LEICESTER CITY 1 MANCHESTER UNITED 2
5.57: So some encouraging signs from Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United but also more than enough to suggest that Leicester seem well set to carry on where they left off last season, even without the energy of N’Golo Kante in the centre of the park.
6.03: So we’re nearly ready for the presentation. Leicester will be first up, followed by the winners, Manchester United. It’s another trophy for Jose Mourinho. Who’s to say there won’t be one or two more this season? Not me, that’s for sure.
6.05: And as Wayne Rooney takes the rather awkwardly-shaped Community Shield from Sir Bobby Charlton, we look forward to next weekend when the Premier League finally gets under way again. It’s going to be huge, trust me. Join us next Saturday at 12 noon then for the first game, Hull City v Leicester City. Thanks for joining me today and enjoy the rest of your evening. Goodnight!
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