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SCORE: Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City (Aguero 13', 58')
Manchester City, the champions of England, took on Chelsea, the FA Cup Champions in the final game of pre-season in the Community Shield. City were the best team in the Premier League last seasons as they romped their way to Guardiola's first title since moving to the Etihad.
New management at Chelsea, with Maurizio Sarri taking over after Conte's departure which had left a bad taste in the mouth. Both sides have bought two quality players in Jorginho for Chelsea and Riyad Mahrez who finally got his dream move to Manchester City.
As it turned out, it was Pep Guardiola's side that made easy work of their opposition to get the perfect start to the new campaign. A double-strike from Sergio Aguero was enough to hand Sarri his first defeat of the campaign as Chelsea manager. He could've had a hat-trick, some shocking defending from David Luiz allowed him to go one on one against Willy Caballero, but only managed the side-netting.
Here are the three reasons why the Premier League Champions eased past the FA Cup holders:
#3 Pep has the side he wants
While all other sides have looked to strengthen their squad - Arsenal, United and Liverpool all making a number of signings in the ongoing transfer window - Guardiola has been fairly content with the personnel at his disposal with the former Leicester City man the only one to come into the club.
The likes of Jose Mourinho and even Sarri for that matter, have been making comments implying that they need more resources for the upcoming season, whereas Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have allocated their financial might to retaining the players they already have in their ranks.
Leroy Sane, Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus have all signed long-term renewals with the club and it seems the manager is more than content to build the squad around the talent he already has under his charge.
A side that looks as cohesive as it is entertaining, Guardiola's men seem to be head and shoulders above their rivals, while the management also seems more in control of the affairs at the club than some of the other contenders for the League title.
#2 Bernardo Silva's twinkling feet
The Portuguese hasn't enjoyed as much game-time as he would've liked under Guardiola but made a real case for a starting spot in the side after another tremendous display against Chelsea.
He was, in our opinion, the man of the match for City - terrific in possession, pulling the strings in the final third much like his namesake has over the years, dribbled past players with ease and also found an assist for one of Aguero's goals.
It will be interesting to see if he is able to retain a spot in the first game of the season against Arsenal, with the big boys like KDB, David Silva and Raheem Sterling all coming back from their vacations following the World Cup. His performance on the night surely substantiates that claim.
#1 Sergio Aguero
The man who, dramatically, altered the course of the club's history with the last-minute winner in 2012 is still the main man at Manchester City, 6 years on. A cult hero with the faithful, Aguero has recently come under fire, particularly since Guardiola's arrival, with the manager opting to trust the youngsters more than the veteran forward.
He made it 201 goals for City, 560 in his career, after finding the net twice in the Community Shield fixture against Chelsea. The first, through some vintage finishing from the edge of the box, with his left. A touch to drag the ball across his body and a second to drill it into the far corner before doubling his tally after finding space between goalkeeper and the near post, when none existed, after being played in at the perfect moment by Bernardo Silva.
The weight on the ball was perfect but the finish was too, as the Argentine seemed to be back to his threatening best after a limp campaign with Argentina at the World Cup. If Gabriel Jesus thought he was going to start ahead of Aguero this season, he's still got some thinking to do.
