Manchester United vs Leicester match report: Storm clouds clear as Jose Mourinho's side fire four past the Foxes

Manchester United 4 Leicester City 1: With Wayne Rooney absent, United ran riot at Old Trafford as Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba all found the back of the net

Manchester United celebrate their first goal courtesy of Chris Smalling (Getty)

There is no better way for a manager to assert his authority than by making a big call and getting it right and, having dropped captain Wayne Rooney, Jose Mourinho hammered home his strength at Manchester United as Premier League champions Leicester City were brushed aside at Old Trafford.

By half-time, Leicester were 4-0 down with United cruising to all three points as Rooney watched on from the sidelines.

The England captain celebrated as passionately and vigorously as his team-mates as the goals went in, but for the first time in his 12-year United career, it appears that Rooney is now fighting for a role on centre stage after being demoted by Mourinho.

In truth, Rooney’s form this season has ensured that this development has been well sign-posted, but it takes courage nonetheless for a manager to drop his team’s most recognisable performer.

But without Rooney, United were strong and impressive, with Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba all scoring in the absence of their number ten.

Rooney made a brief substitute appearance in the closing stages, but by that point, the game had been won and Mourinho’s authority had been rubber-stamped.

Such has been Rooney’s diminishing status among United supporters, his omission from the starting line-up was greeted as a cause for celebration on social media rather than a decision which sparked outcry.

It was Michael Carrick’s return to the substitutes’ bench, following his man of the match performance against Northampton Town in midweek, which prompted the greatest debate, but Mourinho is not a manager to shy away from controversial decisions and the Portuguese will live or die by his selection choices as United manager.

Smalling rises to head home to opening goal (Getty)

The knife was certainly not at Mourinho’s throat ahead of this game, but successive Premier League defeats against Manchester City and Watford had ensured that the pressure was beginning to intensify in the Old Trafford manager’s office.

And for all of his bullish and combative words, and his brusque dismissal of his critics, Mourinho knew that the only response worth anything would be that of his players on the pitch.

So with Rooney dropped and Carrick overlooked, Mourinho needed a response and a performance – and a victory – from those players he had turned to in order to put United’s faltering season back on track.

The response was by no means instantaneous. An opening 20 minutes of sparring was shaded by the champions, who appeared to possess the greater desire and energy, but Smalling’s 22nd minute opener changed everything.

It was as though a switch had been flicked, with the gloom of the past fortnight instantly being cleared.

Daley Blind’s corner was of the type that Leicester usually devour with ease, with centre-halves Robert Huth and Wes Morgan often dominating their own six-yard box.

But with Huth and Islam Slimani drawn towards the ball, Smalling stepped back and created the space in which he was able to leap unmarked before heading past Leicester goalkeeper Rob-Robert Zieler, who was deputising for the injured Kasper Schmeichel.

The goal lifted United’s confidence and injected extra tempo into their play.

Pogba celebrates his first goal for United (Getty)

All of a sudden, the attacking moves were slick, one-touch moves, rather than plodding, sideways build-up in front of a well-marshalled Leicester defence.

Rashford should have made it 2-0 on 25 minutes when, after being released by Ander Herrera, Zlatan Ibrahimovic squared the ball for the England forward, who sliced his shot high and wide.

Ibrahimovic, providing a centre-forward master-class, then went close to scoring a candidate for goal of the season following a terrific pass from Pogba.

Pogba’s lobbed ball found the Swede in the penalty area with his back to goal, but Ibrahimovic controlled the ball with his chest and turned in the same movement before sending a right-foot volley inches over from ten yards.

It was a spectacular effort and another moment which infused United with greater belief and confidence.

Rooney, sat on the bench just yards in front of watching England manager Sam Allardyce, must have wondered how he could force his way back into the team.

Without their captain, United were playing exciting, attacking football and it was a stark contrast to the fare being offered with the 30-year-old in the team.

Gray scored a wonderful consolation goal for Leicester (Getty)

Leicester, beaten heavily at the Liverpool in their last league game away from home, were struggling to repel United and the dam burst on 37 minutes when Mourinho’s team began their rampage of three goals in five minutes.

Mata started the move for the second goal, playing a one-two with Herrera, before laying off for Pogba and heading for the penalty area.

Having made it into the eighteen yard box, Mata then received Jesse Lingard’s flick fifteen yards out before guiding a left foot strike past Zieler.

Three minutes later, Rashford made it 3-0 when he rounded off a training ground corner, by sliding in to poke Mata’s square ball over the line from inches out.

Old Trafford was now in celebratory mood and the game had not even reached half-time.

But there was more to come before the interval with Pogba, who had earlier stung Zieler’s hands with a 30-yard effort, scoring his first goal for United with a header from another Blind corner.

Having conceded just 18 goals away from home on the way to winning the title last season, Leicester trudged in at half-time having already shipped ten on their travels this season.

Without N’Golo Kante, Leicester lack the midfield tenacity which drove them to the championship and the holes must be plugged quickly if they are to have any hope of competing at the top end again this season.

Ranieri knew this game was lost at half-time, and perhaps mindful of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with FC Porto at the King Power Stadium, the Italian withdrew the ineffective Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez in an effort to prevent further goals against his team.

United were happy to sit on their four-goal margin and Demarai Gray gave Leicester a flicker of hope by reducing the deficit with a stunning long-range strike on 60 minutes after holding the challenge of Lingard.

But it meant little in the end. United coasted to victory and put their miserable run behind them.

For Rooney, however, he must now fight back from his own trough.