“Stand up, for the champions,” the Leicester City supporters chorused at kick-off. If there are a million things Foxes fans have found themselves doing over the summer that would not have been dreamed of 12 months ago, this was the million and first: go to Wembley and taunt Manchester United with a chant that for many years used to reverberate around Old Trafford.

For about half an hour Leicester played like champions, too. They did not fall apart in defence through the lack of N’Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez made Luke Shaw look leaden-footed with some flashes of inspiration on the right wing and although United restricted the space for Jamie Vardy to run into, the striker nevertheless managed to embarrass Eric Bailly a couple of times.

At first United looked worryingly like last season’s version, too. Zlatan Ibrahimovic put himself about ineffectively, Wayne Rooney could not decide whether he was a striker or a midfielder and there was probably too much turning the ball backwards or inside for José Mourinho’s liking.

Heroic play

Then the player responsible for United being here in the first place took a hand. Jesse Lingard’s winning goal in the FA Cup final was a spectacular effort and his contribution to getting the Mourinho era up and running was even better.

Mourinho left his new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench, perhaps to see what last season’s Wembley hero could do. The answer was quite a lot. Claudio Ranieri left his new signing Nampalys Mendy on the bench, too, and beginning his run with a dart into the hole where Leicester’s midfielder would normally be, Lingard ended up beating half the opposition in a slaloming run before slotting the ball past Kasper Schmeichel.

Highlight

It was audacious, unexpected, against the run of play, a bit like many a Leicester goal in fact. Up to that point United had looked uninspired and ordinary, their front two neither offering a threat nor operating as a true partnership. Thanks to Lingard the game at least had a highlight.

In the event Lingard’s work was undone by another of Mourinho’s surprise selections when Marouane Fellaini’s underhit backpass handed an equaliser to Vardy.

Lingard had to limp off shortly after that, although he could have had a second goal had he shown better anticipation when Anthony Martial created a second-half opening.

Martial was one of United’s successes when cutting in from the left and when Marcus Rashford came on for the last 20 minutes it was a slight surprise he was the one asked to make way. Perhaps Mourinho wanted to give Ibrahimovic and Rooney as much match time together as possible to work on their partnership.

It would be harsh to suggest they needed it, these are still early days, although if Rooney is to operate as a striker, he needs to stay within hailing distance of Ibrahimovic. Mourinho has the idea his side can dominate in the final third, to give the two thirtysomethings at the sharp end of his team the best chance of showing their finishing prowess.

There was little sign of that here, although United did keep going to the end and Ibrahimovic displayed strength in fighting off Morgan to win the game with a header few other players would have reached.

This was not Manchester United at 100mph, as Mourinho had warned in advance.

It was the first trophy of the season, though, something United have grown out of the habit of taking for granted.