By MATTHEW HOOY
Manchester United has come away with their first piece of silverware under Jose Mourinho’s reign after defeating Leicester City 2-1 in the FA Community Shield.
The curtain-raiser to what will be an exciting season in the 2016/17 Premier League got off to a slow start, with neither team showing signs of taking the game head on.
Both goalkeepers were never truly troubled in first half, with a Leicester corner setting up a Shinji Okazaki header that bounced off the crossbar to be the only real threat on goal.
It wasn’t until Jesse Lingard was able to cut through Leicester’s stout defence to put the Red Devils up 1-0 just after the half hour mark.
It was a sensational solo effort from Lingard, who picked the ball up just after halfway, slicing his way through multiple tackle attempts from Leicester’s back four, before finally striking it truly.
Manchester United went into half-time with a 1-0 lead despite not dominating the game at any stage.
After half-time, it was finally time for the Vardy Party, as a clumsy effort from United’s Marouane Fellaini let Jamie Vardy pounce on a wayward backpass, beating the keeper to make it 1-1.
The game started to take shape after the Vardy equaliser, as the intensity on the pitch visibly rose from there.
Players from both sides started to tackle harder and place greater emphasis on maintaining possession, making for an intriguing final 30 minutes.
With the game going back and forth, neither team could capitalise on any pressing momentum, which increased the tension heading into the last 10 minutes.
Enter Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
It was time for the self-proclaimed "God of Manchester" to take hold of the game, towering over Leicester captain Wes Morgan to head home an 83rd minute winner from a clever Antonio Valencia cross.
It was Mourinho’s first competitive win at his new club, collecting a piece of silverware for the victory as well as instilling hope and excitement for United fans for the season to come.
Newcomers Eric Bailly and Ibrahimovic were pivotal in United’s win; Bailly showed an impressive balance between pace, strength and skill at centre back, while Ibrahimovic proved he is up for a challenge yet again.
Mourinho decided to leave exciting new talent Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench until the 92nd minute, ensuring he will be well rested for the season opener against Bournemouth next week.
Leicester City also appears ready for their season opener, with new signing Ahmed Musa looking dangerous with his pace and keen eye for goal.
The new addition fit in seamlessly with Claudio Ranieri’s counter-attacking game style, providing a quick avenue to goal alongside the constantly busy Vardy.
The defending champions coped without the presence of their former dominant young midfielder N’Golo Kanté, but it will remain to be seen if Leicester will be able to maintain pace with the Champions League and Premier League without him.
Manchester United fans will have another reason to be excited for the 2016/17 season as news broke prior to the Community Shield match that Paul Pogba would return to the Manchester giants.
The 23-year-old French International was cleared by Juventus to complete a medical at the Manchester’s AON medical facilities, with the official signing of Pogba unveiled overnight.
The talented young midfielder will make a move back to United for a world record transfer fee of a reported £100 million (A$1.7 million).