Arsenal players celebrate with the Community Shield trophy.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised his team’s uncharacteristically rugged display after they beat champions Chelsea 1-0 in the Community Shield yesterday.

Wenger denied, however, that he was giving up on his usual attacked-minded approach to football after frustrating many Arsenal fans for years by prioritising stylish play even though it did not produce much silverware.

“In some parts during the game, we tried just to protect our lead,” Wenger told reporters.

“You could see that my team was really determined not to give a goal away and sometimes the defensive part took over our offensive potential.”

It was a point not lost on Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho who is usually considered the master of being on the winning side even if it means not playing beautiful football.

Mourinho, Wenger’s most bitter rival, said he saw in Arsenal “a team that defends very well, a team that leaves their philosophy in the dressing-room... that accumulates 10 players behind the ball.”

Wenger, who seemed to snub Mourinho as the Chelsea coach shook hands with Arsenal’s players after the game, bristled at the suggestion that he was abandoning his normal philosophy.

“We abandoned nothing,” he said.

“In a game like that we wanted to win and we played like that and I am quite proud of that.”

It was the first time in 14 attempts that Wenger had got the upperhand over Mourinho and although he denied it meant anything to him, he said it could give his players a boost.

“As long as I get it ... every time in press conferences, it can have an impact on the team,” he said. “Certainly, the way my team behaved during some periods in the game, it helped, it was important for them to get that hurdle out of the way.”

Wenger said the ankle injury that prevented midfielder Jack Wilshere from playing against Chelsea did not appear to be serious.

Mourinho was not sure whether Spain striker Diego Costa, who was also missing yesterday, would recover from an injury in time for Chelsea’s opening Premier League game of the new season against Swansea City on Saturday.

Last 10 winners

2006: Liverpool
2007: Manchester United
2008: Manchester United
2009: Chelsea
2010: Manchester United
2011: Manchester United
2012: Manchester City
2013: Manchester United
2014: Arsenal
2015: Arsenal