Ancelotti and Scholes scoop August gongs
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes have been named Barclays Manager and Player of the Month for August respectively.
The reigning Barclays Premier League champions made a flying start to the season, scoring 14 goals without reply as they took maximum points from their three matches.
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Ancelotti’s side picked up where they left off last campaign by putting six goals past newly promoted West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge, including a hat trick from striker Didier Drogba.
The Blues then repeated the feat with an equally dominant 6-0 win away at Wigan. The champions rounded off the month by beating Stoke 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and find themselves in familiar territory at the top of the Barclays Premier League table.
Carlo Ancelotti was the only manager to see his team win all three of their matches in August, and has made a perfect start in his pursuit of a second consecutive Barclays Premier League title.
This is the second time that Ancelotti has won the Barclays Manager of the Month award since taking control at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2009.
Scholes' string of superb performances helped United remain unbeaten in their bid to regain the Barclays Premier League title.
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The former England playmaker gave a midfield master class in Manchester United’s opening match of the season, setting up goals for Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs in the 3-0 win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
Scholes continued his great form with a trademark drive from the edge of the area to give Manchester United an early lead in the 2-2 draw at Fulham - his 150th goal for the club.
He ended the month by playing a key role in the 3-0 home win over West Ham United to help United finish the month in third place in the Barclays Premier League table.
The evergreen midfielder has now received the award four times in his glittering career and is only one behind Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard in the all-time list. He is tied on four awards with Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel that includes representatives from football’s governing bodies, the media and fans.
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.