United cover familiar ground

Manchester Utd 0 Portsmouth 0/Manchester Utd won 3-1 on penalties:PORTSMOUTH WERE in no shape to take penalties in the Community Shield when the Manchester United goalposts had been merely a blur in the distance for most of the afternoon. The 3-1 defeat in the shoot-out was laughable and Glen Johnson's effort was typical of that, ending the match by skying his attempt. United are polished in such exercises. They won this trophy in such fashion last season and, a touch more significantly, the European Cup as well. Confidence is a side effect of excellence.

Although Portsmouth's durability was on show at Wembley they had barely any other talent to display. With the midfield overwhelmed it was impossible to form an opinion about the new partnership in attack of Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe. At least the latter had enough concentration to net his penalty.

Alex Ferguson sees the Community Shield primarily as a fitness exercise but his side ensured that it was Portsmouth who were put through a punishing work-out. Harry Redknapp can comfort himself with the knowledge that the doggedness in his line-up is intact. Without it Portsmouth could not have come through a quarter-final at Old Trafford in March before going on to win the FA Cup.

Their endurance here had to be substantial since United were in earnest about all they did. Carlos Tevez, in particular, never looks desultory. Indeed, he was consumed by the action when Herman Hreidarsson, lying on the ground, grabbed his leg inside the penalty area with a quarter-of-an-hour to go.

The Argentinian recognised the FA's new Respect agenda by restraining himself from seizing the referee, Peter Walton, by the throat. Unfortunately he took a hold of Hreidarsson in that fashion instead.

On another day Tevez would have been sent off. All the same he and his team-mates did the audience a service by being wholly serious about all they did.

It was a strong United line-up and, even as the Old Trafford crowd anticipates the signing of a centre-forward such as Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov, the middle of the attack cannot be an immediate concern when Tevez imposes himself so instinctively.

Wayne Rooney will have got over his virus by next weekend and the lack of Cristiano Ronaldo, while he recovers from ankle surgery, may not be as much of a handicap as had been dreaded.

That younger Portuguese attacker Nani conducted himself as if he had seen a vacancy. During his 79 minutes on the field he had hunger and verve. Ten minutes before half-time he robbed Johnson and piloted a cross that set up Darren Fletcher in front of the posts. Somehow the Scot got the ball caught under his foot.

Ronaldo, of course, is a predator who is always liable to score on his own account. Nani lacks that quality and, incidentally, is suspended from his club's opening Premier League match, with Newcastle United on Sunday.

United cannot be downcast by that. It is not, after all, a minor matter to dominate Portsmouth to this degree. While Redknapp's midfield is substantial in reputation it was nebulous in reality here, with Lassana Diarra alone demonstrating his worth to any degree. Portsmouth had to be admired mostly for endurance.

With Johnson so beleaguered in the first half and Sol Campbell short of fitness after injury, they were apparently on the brink of collapse. Others, though, redoubled their efforts. When Nani, for instance, got away from Campbell five minutes before the interval the steadfast Sylvain Distin dealt with the menace. In goal the veteran David James was in peak condition.

Four minutes into the second half he punched out a corner and then stretched to tip Fletcher's chip on to the bar. James excelled as well by pulling off a save from Tevez, who had turned and let fly with 20 minutes remaining. United had purpose and elan.

When the promising Frazier Campbell came off the bench it was no shock to see that he, too, was exuberant as he jinked to create room before lifting an attempt high.

The goalless state of the match would have been the one minor annoyance for Ferguson. His system, 4-3-3, would have satisfied him as a machine for generating ascendancy. Gary Neville, who last started for United competitively in March 2007, had a measure of protection, with two men in front of him in this formation.

The elders of the side can only be evaluated over a protracted period. It sufficed for Neville to come through unscathed but Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs looked intent on showing that their participation need not be rationed all that severely.

Even for men like them it must be galvanising to know that they are involved in yet another period of success that is unfolding.

They are also old enough not to make too much of the Community Shield. United and Chelsea will once more be the real test for one another. There was nothing, all the same, to dampen Ferguson's enthusiasm for the renewal of hostilities.

MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville (Brown 66), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, O'Shea (Carrick 66), Scholes, Giggs, Nani (Campbell 79), Tevez. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Evans, Possebon, Da Silva. Booked: Vidic, Neville.

PORTSMOUTH: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson (Lauren 79), Diop, Pedro Mendes (Mvuemba 75), Diarra, Kranjcar (Utaka 60), Crouch, Defoe. Subs not used: Ashdown, Sahar, Cranie, Traore. Booked: Distin.

Referee: P Walton (Northamptonshire).