Shot Stopper

After making two great saves in yesterday's penalty shootout, Petr Cech admitted he had an idea of where the opposition were going to strike.

In recent years Cech has experienced several shootouts against Manchester United and believes he can predict which direction their takers may shoot, although he insists you can never know for sure.

'They've had a penalty shoot-out against us a few times before,' admitted Cech, 'So I knew where some players would go.

'But these players can always change as well, so I was waiting for the last minute, the last second. I tried to stay focused and go on the final move. So I am happy it worked.'

With one minute left to play, the Community Shield was as good as ours, until Wayne Rooney latched onto a Ryan Giggs through-ball and drilled into the bottom corner.

'We made a mistake in the last minute, which is unfortunate, and it is always difficult when you concede a goal in the last minute.

'But then we had a great reaction to take the penalties so calmly and all credit to our takers because they did really well.

'In football everything can change quickly, so we knew what was done was done, we knew there was a penalty shootout, so we needed to concentrate on that.

'In the end we showed great character going into the penalties and getting the result we did.'

Cech wasn't only impressed by the tranquil approach we took to the shootout, but also by the fact we had already rallied from a one-goal deficit at Wembley, just like we did against Arsenal and Everton in the FA Cup last season.

'The fact that in the first half we didn't play so well and we went 1-0 down and then had a great reaction for the second half was fantastic.

'We twisted things round and won it on penalties, so it is good to start the season like that with a win against one of the main contenders for the title.

'If you win the first trophy of the season then it is always a good start to the season. It is a positive start for everyone and exactly what we wanted.'

Teammate Michael Ballack agreed with our shot-stopping goalie. 'We have started well and we have had a good pre-season where we haven't lost one game.

'But now it starts, although we know we are prepared and that is important. We have discipline in the team, we have a good system, technically, and we are focussed. So far, so good.'