Well, well, well. The inevitable has at last happened at Old Trafford and Wayne Rooney will watch the game the same way as the rest of us, but with a better seat.

Rashford and Lingaard start with Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher backing the decision.

Here are your teams, how do you see this one going?

Manchester United: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Blind; Herrera, Pogba; Lingard, Mata, Rashford, Ibrahimovic.

Substitutes: Romero, Rojo, Fosu-Mensah, Carrick, Fellaini, Young, Rooney.

Leicester City:  Zieler; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Albrighton; Slimani, Vardy.

Substitutes: Hernández, King, Hamer, Schlupp, Okazaki, Gray, Ulloa.

Claudio Ranieri has been chatting to Sky ahead of kick off and he looks well up for a contest with his old foe Mourinho.

Leicester, of course, earned a big point here last season before they won the title in Jamie Vardy’s kitchen the following evening.

“It’s important to forget last season,” he says. “We are ready to defend the title. It’ll be very, very hard today.” He must fancy his chances of a counter attack or two today though.

The Man Utd players are wearing the names of their mascots on their backs.

And we’re up and running.

After an open, scrappy start Pogba plays a Hollywood pass to the corner for Valencia. His cross is headed clear and Blind tries a spectacular effort but it sails over.

United have started brightly. And Ibra’s had a sight at goal.

Mata plays a crisp pass to Valencia, his cross is put behind for  corner. Zieler punches clear and Zlatan volleys it back but it’s well wide. Tough chance though.

Important news; Vardy’s ditched the cast:

The Foxes are definitely more in the game now.

Danny Drinkwater — a former United man and January target, if you believe the rumours — has done well in combining with Mahrez and Albrighton.

We last saw Nemnaja Vidic taking in Ireland’s performance in Belgrade. This afternoon he’s in stands with his former boss, Fergie:

GOAL! Man Utd 1 Leicester 0 Smalling 22′

Some very good work is rewarded with the day’s opening goal.

Smalling — captain in the absence of Rooney — climbed highest to head home Blind’s corner.

What a counter attack!

Herrera sets Ibra free and the Swedish striker’s square ball for Rashford looks perfect.

The young England man’s first touch is poor though and, under pressure, his second is a wild effort. Zlatan doesn’t look amused.

Ibra miss! That would have been a great goal.

Pogba chipped through for Ibrahimovic, who took the ball on the chest as he turned and then volleyed just over. He and United are knocking on the door again though.

Pogba’s looking like an 80-mil player all of a sudden.

The Frenchman he hits a cheeky 30-yard shot towards the near post that Zieler bats behind.

Mike Egerton Mike Egerton

GOAL! Man Utd 2 Leicester 0, Mata 36′

‘What a good goal’ says Alan Smith. And he’s right.

The Spanish No 10 takes the ball as it hops in front of him on the edge of the box and he drills it home. Excellent finish.

The camera immediately pans to Rooney on the bench obviously.

GOAL! Man Utd 3 Leicester 0, Rashford 39′

This game is, you’d have to say, over.

Leicester were napping as United stood over a corner. The ball was quickly squared and Rashford finished from a yard.

GOAL! Man Utd 4 Leicester 0, Pogba 42′

My days.

Pogba gets his first goal for the club and it’s pretty straightforward. He heads home well from another corner.

‘This has been a shambles really to concede three from corners” says Carra in the tactics truck.

Half-time: Man Utd 4 Leicester 0

And they said Mourinho had lost the dressing-room? That was some half of football from the home side, though Leicester didn’t make it difficult at times.

What did you make of that?

It looks like Jamie Vardy’s off. He’s back in his tracksuit.

And we’re underway again.

Mahrez and Vardy off for King and Gray. That’s some call from the artist formerly known as the Tinkerman.

Huth is booked for doing what he does best to Pogba, who’s limping around.

Carra on Pogba: “This has by far been Pogba’s best performance. He’s been the best player on the pitch coming up on the hour mark. Interestingly though, he lost the ball in midfield there and Joe Mourinho was straight out to get the message across to him to keep his discipline.”

GOAL! Man Utd 4 Leicester 1, Demarai Gray 59′

That was some effort. The winger took the ball on the left side, he forced his way in the pitch despite the attention of Lingard and then unleashed a screamer.

Rooney’s out to warm up for the first time.

Ibra almost gets his goal. His first-time attempt to find the bottom corner earns United another corner which comes to nothing.

Pogba and Ibra have linked up well today.

The midfielder played in his striker again there. Zlatan’s ball for Lingaad is put behind for a corner.

The corner — from Blind on the left, interestingly — is cleared as far as Herrara who batters it towards Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Michael Carrick is about to be introduced by Jose Mourinho.

Gray almost added another worlie to his day’s work. He tried to catch De Gea off his line but the Spaniard got a strong hand up to it.

Carrick’s on for Lingard, meanwhile. He’s done better than the derby performance, at least.

Wayne Rooney’s getting some last-minute instructions before his apparently imminent introduction.

Rooney’s on now in place of Rashford. The club captain gets a polite(?) reception.

Mike Egerton Mike Egerton

Mata trots off to an Old Trafford ovation. He’ll enjoy writing this week’s blog post.

Ashlet Young comes on for the last 5 minutes or so, including added time.

Paul Pogba will have the Sky Sports man-of-the-match award in the back of the jeep as he wends home towards Cheshire this evening.

What do you make of that decision?

FULL-TIME: Man Utd 4 – Leicester City 1 

After a hugely eventful first half, that second period was a formality in truth, though that consolation goal from Gray was a treat.

Jose Mourinho can reflect on a job well done that vindicates his big decision to drop the club’s top scorer.

What’s your verdict?