Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw scored in each half as Manchester
United ushered in the new Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over
Leicester at Old Trafford.
France international Pogba coolly converted a third-minute
penalty after Daniel Amartey was penalised for handball, before Shaw wrapped up
the victory seven minutes from time with his first goal in senior football.
Leicester pulled one back two minutes into added time
through Jamie Vardy's close-range header, but United withstood a late onslaught
to secure Jose Mourinho the third successive opening-day victory of his tenure
at the club.
Player ratings
Man Utd: De Gea (8), Darmian (6), Bailly (6), Lindelof (6),
Shaw (8), Fred (7), A Pereira (7), Pogba (8), Mata (6), Rashford (6), Sanchez
(6).
Subs: Lukaku (5), McTominay (5), Fellaini (5).
Leicester: Schmeichel (6), Amartey (4), Morgan (5), Maguire
(6), Chilwell (5), Ndidi (5), Silva (6), R Pereira (6), Maddison (7), Gray (6),
Iheanacho (6).
Subs: Vardy (6), Ghezzal (5), Iborra (5).
Man of the Match: Luke Shaw.
There were only 75 seconds on the clock when Pogba was
handed, literally, the chance to score the first goal of the Premier League
season, as a blocked Alexis Sanchez shot hit Amartey's outstretched arm.
Up stepped United's captain, who showed no sign of fatigue
after his World Cup-winning summer, to dispatch the spot-kick beyond Kasper
Schmeichel into the roof of the net.
United continued on the front foot but any hopes of putting
Leicester to the sword in a blistering opening spell subsided as the visitors
got a foothold, Wilfred Ndidi drawing David de Gea into action at full stretch
with the Foxes' first attempt on target after Fred's poor clearance.
The Spanish goalkeeper was forced into action on 29 minutes
as his stunning point-blank save denied James Maddison a goal on his Premier
League debut, after Ricardo Pereira's cut-back found the Leicester new boy in
space in the area.
And when the resulting corner was cleared as far as Ricardo
- another new Leicester signing - Pogba was on hand with a crucial last-gasp
deflection to preserve United's lead through to the interval.
United had Eric Bailly to thank for keeping them ahead on 62
minutes as the Ivorian showed great strength to outmuscle Kelechi Iheanacho
after he had been played through on goal.
Team news
World Cup winner Paul Pogba captained United, while summer
signing Fred made his Premier League debut. Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial
started on the bench. Harry Maguire lined up against United having been linked
with a move to the club all summer. New signings Ricardo Pereira and James
Maddison started too, but Jonny Evans and Rachid Ghezzal were named on the
bench.
The insurance of a second goal proved elusive for Mourinho's
men, who thought they should have had a penalty when Juan Mata's shot deflected
behind off Wes Morgan's elbow, but not even a corner was awarded.
And their slender lead faced its greatest threat when
substitute Vardy picked Shaw's pocket and crossed for Gray on 75 minutes, but
again De Gea proved impenetrable with another fine save.
Substitute Romelu Lukaku should have put the game beyond
Leicester on 78 minutes, but the onrushing Schmeichel diverted his effort onto
the roof of the net.
Shaw then secured the victory when he fired past Schmeichel
from a narrow angle, with Vardy's late effort mere consolation for the Foxes.
Opta stats
Manchester United have won on the opening day in each of
their last four seasons, their joint-longest run in the Premier League (also
four in a row between 2000-01 and 2003-04).
Leicester City is winless in their last 16 away top-flight
matches on the opening day of the season (D8 L8) since a 3-2 win at Aston Villa
in August 1933.
Manchester United have won eight of their last nine home
Premier League games against Leicester City (D1), winning all three under
manager Jose Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho is unbeaten in all 18 of his opening league
matches of a season as a manager (W11 D7), winning nine of his 10 in the
Premier League (D1).
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has scored in 11
Premier League games and ended on the winning side in all of them - a
joint-record he shares with former Liverpool player Ryan Babel.
Leicester City have conceded the first goal of the Premier
League season in each of the last three seasons, also doing so in 2016-17
against Hull City and 2017-18 against Arsenal.
Paul Pogba's goal inside three minutes was Manchester
United's fastest goal scored in a Premier League season - the previous fastest
was Dwight Yorke after seven minutes against Everton in 1999-2000.
Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw registered his first
senior goal in his 134th appearance in all competitions (67 games each for
Southampton and Man Utd).
Leicester's Jamie Vardy has now ended on the losing side in
four of the last five Premier League matches in which he's found the net (W1).
What's next?
After the nine remaining games on the opening weekend of the
Premier League season, United travel to Brighton - live on Nissan Super Sunday
at 4pm - while Leicester host newly-promoted Wolves at 3pm on Saturday.
