Aside from that, the Wembley showpiece told us little about what lies ahead when the new season begins in earnest on Saturday.
Chelsea’s victory, tinged with controversy as it was, would have been a defeat had Manchester United been able to take their chances in a contest far more entertaining than any of the previous two these sides have toiled through at the new stadium.
And there is the rub. For United did create chances, lots of them. It is fairly obvious that after five managers in less than two years, Chelsea’s players would feel a bit dizzy at the number of tactical switches they have been asked to make.
And given the number of times United got a clear sight of their opponents goal, it will be a while before there is true conviction behind the belief that defensively in the Premier League, Chelsea are durable enough to reach the top.
Handed the central position he loves so much for England, Wayne Rooney showed at times what does for his country,
he can also do for his club. His injury time leveller being the start of what he hopes will be a goals mountain.
After a horrible season last year, Nani was electric on the wing, scoring an excellent goal -- even if Petr Cech should have done a much better job of keeping it out.
The surges of Park Ji-sung, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick also caught the eye.
But is it really possible to sell the world’s best player and improve, or even stay the same, which might be enough to yield a fourth title in a row?
United had more than enough chances to finish off Chelsea, but doubts still remain over their ability to put the ball in the back of the net without Cristiano Ronaldo.
That is all for the future, answers discovered during the long, arduous campaign that lies ahead.
The season before last, Patrice Evra was embroiled in a row with Chelsea’s groundstaff that ended up costing him a four-match ban and £15,000.
Now he has more reason to be wound up by Chelsea following his pole-axing by Michael Ballack that went unpunished in the build-up to Frank Lampard’s goal and the shoot-out miss that effectively gifted Chelsea the trophy.
If one thing is for certain in this uncertain world, it will not be the last moment of controversy of the campaign.
Manchester United 2 - 2 Chelsea
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