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one back with a stoppage-time header after Ricardo Pereira’s cross came back off the post, but it was too little, too late for Leicester.

“Paul was fantastic, his contribution was amazing,” Mourinho said after taking his captain off late in the game. “But the fuel was disappearing.

“I am very pleased for Luke. He made one mistake in 90 minutes, he was very good defensively.”

Leicester looked startled by United’s early intensity but slowly began to feel their way into the match, with debutant James Maddison shining.

Demarai Gray clipped in a smart ball that Kelechi Iheanacho followed with a strike across the face of goal, before a fierce Maddison shot was stopped by De Gea.

At the other end, Andreas Pereira, making his first United appearance since February 2016, looked sharp in midfield alongside Pogba.

Matteo Darmian tested Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at the near post early into a second half that United started with bundles of possession, but few clear-cut chances.

A good opportunity came when Pogba fed Sanchez and he set up Mata, who had a shot that was deflected just wide.

But it was far from one-way traffic. Eric Bailly did superbly to deny Iheanacho, and Vardy bundled Shaw off the ball to send in a cross that Gray almost flicked home.

It was Shaw, who just like Pogba has endured some tough times under Mourinho, who was the unlikely late hero for United.

With seven minutes remaining, he flicked the ball past a defender before sending a low left-footed strike into the net.

It was the first senior goal for former England and Southampton defender Shaw, on the 23-year-old left-back’s 141st appearance.

“It’s important to win and play well,” Mourinho said.