Mourinho celebrated with gusto but, given his struggle for defensive reinforcements this summer, won't have liked the look of Leicester's late riposte – poached by Vardy after David De Gea and Eric Bailly had left a cross from Ricardo, which clipped the far post and came out to the lurking England striker. The visitors could be forgiven for experiencing a feeling a déjà vu. In the three campaigns since winning the league, Leicester have now conceded the first goal of the season. Hull, Arsenal and Manchester United the opponents, yet if this fact makes them appear in some way soft, the 90 minutes here could be submitted as evidence to the contrary.
True, Leicester were a goal down after three minutes at Old Trafford but the rest of the play suggested Claude Puel's side will be no pushovers this season. They gave United a damn good run for the money, the breakneck speed with which Mourinho's players started the game subsiding as cavalier ambition gave way to realism.
They were not going to sweep Leicester off the pitch after all. They needed to be sensible, to work hard protecting their goal, to contain. This wasn't a negative plan – United wanted to get forward – but a result of Leicester's dangerous counter-attacking.Pogba captained in the absence of Antonio Valencia although seeing what it brought from him, will Mourinho be tempted to make the change permanent? He certainly seemed impressed with Pogba's willingness to play so soon after his exertions in Russia, and if the player's head has been turned by Barcelona as is claimed, he showed no sign of it with an energetic, diligent display.
A report this week claimed Manchester United got the most luck of all Premier League teams last season and it could be argued that is continuing. The handball given against Daniel Armatey from an Alexis Sanchez shot after two minutes looked harsh. He had his arms by his body and was turning away but Andre Marriner seized an early opportunity for involvement and pointed to the spot.
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