a game that acts as little more than a high-profile teaser for the coming season.
Of course, Ferguson and Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti both wanted the win to strike an early psychological blow against the other and both will take heart from a game that finished 2-2 in normal time.
But everybody knows this particular kick-a-round counts for little in the grand scheme of things.
Look at the evidence. In the 13 previous shield games -- contested by the previous season's league champions and FA Cup winners -- the winner has gone on to win the league title on only three occasions.
It's a glorified friendly, a fundraiser intended to help raise cash for the FA-sponsored community schemes and charitable causes.
Fergie, though, doesn't do friendlies.
His typically venomous attack on the referee Chris Foy and Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack was the clearest possible signal that the new season is about to get underway. The serious business doesn't start until the first round of Premier League games next weekend, but Ferguson's reaction to Foy's failure to spot a clear Ballack foul shortly before Chelsea took a 2-1 lead has already put every referee on notice that the United manager is scrutinizing their every move.
The German midfielder body-checked United's Patrice Evra, decking the fullback, who was still on the floor when Frank Lampard put Chelsea ahead.
The manager had a point -- the referee was just a few yards away and looking straight at the incident -- and he made it in trademark fashion.
"The referee's made a rod for his own back," was Ferguson's view after the game. "He'd stopped the game twice already so we're disappointed.
"The least he should have done is stop the game. It's hard to blame the Chelsea players but it's an area I'm concerned about. We've got to find a solution to it.
"If the referee sees Ballack's challenge properly, it's a red card. He's elbowed him clearly, so he's lucky. The referee was in line and should have seen it.
"Ballack had gone down earlier in the game, which we have seen before. When players are acting to get the game stopped, it's hard."
There's nothing new in Ferguson having a pop. He's been doing it for years.
Usually, though not always, treading a careful line that ensures he avoids a strongly worded letter from the FA's disciplinary team, Ferguson's introduces seeds of doubts into the minds of match officials.
It's subtle, in a totally transparent, unsubtle way.
Foy, for example, will undoubtedly be taking charge of a United game soon. And when he does, Ferguson's criticism of the referee's handling of Ballack, of his claim that Foy failed to spot the German feigning injury, might just influence a crucial decision.
There will be plenty of people who will view Ferguson's temper tantrum as a sign that he is worried.
A lot has happened since his side collected a third successive Premier League title in mid-May.
United's air of invincibility was immediately pricked when they surrendered tamely to Barcelona in the Champions League final.
Then, the sense that Ferguson is a man in total control of his own squad was seriously undermined when Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez turned their backs on Old Trafford.
Having lost two of his most important match-winners, the manager responded by taking a punt on the ageing Michael Owen and a modestly priced move for Wigan winger Antonio Valencia.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have drafted in Ancelotti as coach and the Italian's first month in charge has been regarded as a success by all at Stamford Bridge.
Throw in the fact that Manchester City are collecting players for fun while Liverpool should only get better, and there is a strong case to be made that Ferguson will struggle to guide his side to a record fourth title in four years.
Against Chelsea, though, there was more than enough evidence to suggest they remain the team to beat.
Ronaldo's absence meant United played with a more convincing shape and structure although the loss of Nani to a dislocated shoulder came as a heavy blow.
The Portuguese had put United ahead and shown enough to suggest he is finally ready to emerge from Ronaldo's shadow and build on the promise he has shown all too fleetingly since arriving from Sporting Lisbon two years ago.
Similarly impressive was Dimitar Berbatov, another of last season's underachievers, who must step up his game in the coming campaign.
But towering above his teammates was Wayne Rooney, the player Ferguson clearly believes can fill the gap left by Ronaldo.
The England striker's last minute equalizer was a finish of pure quality and having now assumed star billing in the United line-up, Rooney's time has surely come.
And he, more than any other player, will determine whether Ferguson is celebrating a twelfth league title next May.
Ian Winrow is a London-based football journalist and columnist for GlobalSoccerCenter.com.
