13/08/2000  Chelsea 2 Manchester United 0
 
Just over a year ago, Hasselbaink was earning himself a tarnished reputation 
by effectively forcing Leeds to sell him abroad to Atletico Madrid.

However, it took him only 22 minutes at Wembley to open his account for 
Chelsea following his record £15million summer signing.

And there was much in his committed display to indicate that he will 
significantly enhance the Blues' title chances as they place the Premiership at 
the top of their priority list this season.

For the lack of a proven goalscorer who can finish the wealth of chances which 
Chelsea so often create - and which were all too often missed last season as 
Chris Sutton flopped and Gianfranco Zola struggled in front of the net - has 
been the Blues' Achilles heel for some time.

Controversy never seems to be far away from Hasselbaink, with Keane enraged by 
one second-half challenge which left him hobbling, while on two occasions the 
striker apparently tamely went to ground looking for a free-kick.

However, Keane is no stranger to controversy himself and after pushing Roberto 
di Matteo in an earlier altercation which went unpunished, he never recovered 
his temper from that tackle by Hasselbaink.

When Gustavo Poyet received the ball in the centre of the pitch shortly 
afterwards, the United captain stormed in with a dangerous studs-first tackle 
from behind and was rightly dismissed by referee Mike Riley.

Keane's red card - his seventh in his United career and the first in a Charity 
Shield since Kevin Keegan was sent off following a clash with Billy Bremner in 
1974 - will inevitably make the headlines as well as earning him a likely 
three-match ban.

But Hasselbaink's immediate impact for Chelsea - even if his strike was 
deflected off substitute Jaap Stam's leg and an earlier chance went begging - 
could carry far greater significance for the coming season.

Overall, Chelsea certainly looked much sharper than the champions, with an 
organised defence and goalscoring threats on both flanks from Poyet and Mario 
Stanic, although the Charity Shield can often prove to be an unreliable guide as 
to what lies ahead.

After all, United lost the 1998 Charity Shield 3-0 against Arsenal and went on 
to win the Treble, while they were also defeated by the Gunners last season and 
still secured the title by 18 clear points, with Chelsea a further eight behind 
in fifth place.

Apart from Hasselbaink's impact and Keane's indiscipline, several other points 
were still clear though at Wembley.

With Ronny Johnsen back, United are hugely dependent on Stam in defence.

Fabien Barthez offers far more influence in the United goal than Mark Bosnich 
ever did.

And Mario Melchiot - who scored Chelsea's second goal on 72 minutes - is a 
considerable young talent.

The after-effects of the European Championships still lingered, with Phil 
Neville being rather predictably - and equally needlessly - booed by the Chelsea 
fans before kick-off following his penalty mistake for England against Romania.

Hasselbaink, meanwhile, was not even included in Holland's Euro 2000 squad and 
after a promising impact in pre-season friendlies, he was clearly still bursting 
with determination to prove himself after an extended summer break.

With Zola a willing forager and creator alongside him and with a solid 
defensive and midfield platform behind him, Hasselbaink was clearly Chelsea's 
most potent attacking weapon, although Stanic will also threaten this season in
a similar role to Poyet on the opposite flank.

With eight minutes gone, the Croatian international blasted a fierce drive 
just past the upright with the goal seemingly at his mercy and then headed wide 
at the far post from Zola's cross.

The spotlight briefly turned onto Keane for the first time as he became 
involved in a fracas with di Matteo that earned him only a verbal warning.

Chelsea were soon back on the offensive, with Poyet setting Hasselbaink clear 
in something of an unequal contest against Mikael Silvestre, given that the 
unconvincing French defender had looked unsure ever since his first pass went 
astray.

Even after Silvestre had lunged in with a weak challenge - injuring himself in 
the process - Hasselbaink scuffed his shot wide of the far post.

But such is his confidence in his own ability that he remained undaunted by 
that miss and just two minutes after Stam had come on to replace Silvestre, 
Hasselbaink was racing clear again from Poyet's header.

Stam dived in just as the Dutchman was taking aim but succeeded only in 
deflecting the shot and the ball bounced over Barthez's diving body at some pace 
to put Chelsea ahead - and deservedly so.

United were slightly roused into action, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - up front 
alongside Teddy Sheringham - hitting the side-netting and Paul Scholes poking a 
half-volley wide at full-stretch.

Hasselbaink was doing far more than simply waiting for his team-mates to tee 
him up, however, and was willing to drop deeper and turn creator himself, with 
one superb pass picking out Zola in the penalty area only for Denis Irwin to 
intercept.

United upped the tempo slightly after the break, with Scholes' volley being 
deflected over, yet Melchiot and Marcel Desailly were both in impressive form.

When Keane's hot-blooded temper boiled over to lead to his dismissal, United 
had little chance of making a comeback and their fate was sealed when Melchiot 
ran unchallenged to the edge of their penalty area before calmly slipping his 
shot past Barthez.

A considerable number of substitutions inevitably followed - including the 
welcome sight of Graeme Le Saux back after 10 months out through injury - but, 
in the final club game to be held at the current Wembley, Chelsea had 
comfortably wrapped up victory.

Whether they - or indeed anyone else - will similarly manage to overhaul 
United over the course of the whole season when it really matters is another 
prospect entirely though.