London: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed victory over Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho at the 14th attempt as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal gave the FA Cup winners a 1-0 win in Sunday’s Community Shield.
The England midfielder struck in the 24th minute to break Mourinho’s longstanding hold over his French rival and give Arsenal hope of a sustained assault on Chelsea’s Premier League title.
While Chelsea improved in the second half, they could not find a way past their former goalkeeper Petr Cech, who registered a clean sheet as his new club claimed their 13th outright Community Shield.
Wenger will be mindful that a 3-0 win over Manchester City in last season’s Community Shield was not followed by a convincing title bid, but with Cech already looking at home and Mourinho no longer able to boast a spotless record against him, he will approach next weekend’s opening league fixtures with pre-season belief fully intact.
Chelsea’s team-sheet suggested that Diego Costa is not yet free of the hamstring problems that plagued him last season, with Loic Remy leading the line in the Spain striker’s absence.
Not for the first time, Wenger is embarking on a season with a surfeit of midfielders and he unveiled a new shape here that saw Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla line up on either flank, allowing Aaron Ramsey to take up his favoured central role alongside Francis Coquelin.
With Mesut Ozil shadowing lone striker Theo Walcott, Arsenal were able to cluster men around the ball both in and out of possession, swarming around Chelsea’s midfielders to win the ball back before zipping quick passes between each other.
After Walcott had worked Thibaut Courtois with a header, he created Arsenal’s opener in the 24th minute with a pass wide to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who lashed home left-footed.
