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Finally, after 14 attempts, Arsene Wenger has sussed this Chelsea side out. Jose Mourinho’s team is good, but they are not that good. The mental block, the psychological edge that Mourinho played upon during the numerous childish exchanges, asides and squabbles down the years has just been stripped away. What better place, what grander stage to do it than Wembley, a week ahead of the opening fixtures in the Barclays Premier League. Let battle commence.

Arsenal had to work for this, protecting a first-half lead given to them after a belting goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain by eventually chugging their way to victory against the champions.

This is not the Thierry Henry vintage of 2004 at Arsenal, the pomp of the Dennis Bergkamp team that won the domestic Double in 1998 and again in 2002. But it is coming together nicely.

Chelsea were made to look ordinary and functional, a side that looks as though the improvisation and clever skills of their match-winning players has finally been coached out of them. They looked average.

Wembley is Arsenal’s home now, winning successive FA Cup semi-finals, FA Cup finals and now Community Shields. They looked the part.

This was a triumph for their expansive first-half football, playing fast and loose in the final third of the field with the game full of runs from Theo Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain. Ozil, as ever, provided the intelligence to this team.

The challenge for Arsenal is to replicate this over 38 games, starting with West Ham yesterday and then finishing it all off for this enlightened Wenger team against Aston Villa on May 15.

This time last year they had us all over, sweeping the champions Manchester City aside with a breathtaking performance. They won 3-0 and still finished behind them in the league. This time round they have a keeper of class and pedigree, certainly the best since Jens Lehmann and quite possibly even Safe Hands himself, David Seaman.

“(Petr) Cech’s a Gooner” they sang from behind his goal in the second half after he had denied the substitute Oscar from scoring an equaliser for his former club.

Cech is Arsenal through and through now.

In front of him were 10 determined outfield men, straight off the success of the Emirates Cup and into this fiery Community Shield clash with Chelsea. It started nice and niggly.

Ramires left a bit on Ozil early on, there were one or two nibbles at Walcott’s ankles and Branislav Ivanovic clipped Santi Cazorla down Arsenal’s left.

This was a strange and subdued Chelsea, perhaps playing catch up after a whirlwind trip to the United States that included games in Washington, Charlotte and New Jersey. — Daily Mail Sport.