A pleasing day for the United gaffer ...

Some player ratings for you to argue about ...

Jamie Jackson on the slight changes by the United manager ...

I’ll leave you with Danny Taylor’s match report from Old Trafford

Thanks for your company - bye!

Here’s Frank Lampard

“There were four mistakes for the goals, but we controlled major parts of the first half. We made a couple of poor decisions in the final third. We should have been ahead at half-time. Even at the start of the second half, I didn’t mind it, then two mistakes and we’re 3-0 down.

“At 1-0 we were the better team. They’re a counter-attacking team – it’s a big strength of theirs, put it that way, and if you give them opportunities to run past you they will. They were absolutely clinical.

“There are loads of lessons for us – we can’t make unforced errors at this level. But at the same time, it was nowhere near a 4-0. We have Rudiger and Willian not far away; Callum and Ruben will be a bit longer than that. I don’t want that excuse, though. The team we put out was competing very well in the game.

“The first thing I said to the players was that we have to be grown up about it, because it’s not nice. We’re Chelsea and we don’t losing 4-0 anywhere, but we have to accept that. We have to analyse the bad bits and correct them.”

The Man of the Match is Harry Maguire

“It’s a great start for myself and the team. We rode our luck a little bit in the first half – we gave them too many chances. There were a few nerves and we gave the ball away in dangerous areas. But I think we were a lot better in the second half, we controlled the game and thoroughly deserved the three points.

“Our front three are so dangerous, on the break especially, and it was a convincing win in the end. Even at 3-0 and 4-0 we wanted a clean sheet; we knew there were only two here last season. We need to make this place a fortress. It’s a good start, but we’re not getting carried away.”

“We’ve finally put in a textbook Mourinho performance,” says Michael Simpson. “I’m sure he’ll have warm words upstairs after the game.”

Ha, yes. This reminded me of some of those 4-0 wins at the start of the 2017-18 season: tight and nervous for most of the game, and then a blizzard of late, counter-attacking goals.

“United weren’t great, and no doubt they will still get the worst write up of all 20 PL teams this weekend,” says Bob Baccalieri. “But they have scored four, kept a clean sheet, looked like they cared, and their ‘terrible’ summer transfer business has already borne some fruit. That is good enough for me.”

Yes, I thought their attitude - which was such a problem at the end of last season - was excellent.

90+1 min “Has there ever been more deceiving 4-0 lead than this one?” says Admir Pajic.

In fairness, United’s performance in the last half-hour has been textbook: sit deep, give Chelsea’s passers no space and shred them on the counter-attack.

90 min James is too fast even for Kante, who takes him out and is booked. It’s been a fine day for the United debutants - James has scored, Maguire has been as solid as his forehead and Wan-Bissaka, though erratic, has done some impressive things.

88 min “Hope you’re well,” says Ruth Purdue. “I’d love to have Jorginho in a 2 with McTominay. He’d keep the ball ticking over and thread balls through. I feel you need that type in that position rather than the marauding Pogba. The no 6 can play on the left of a midfield 3 when he has world class players around him. He seems not to be as consistent without a Kante, Pirlo or Matuidi. I realise I write this after that Pogba run. Any thoughts?”

They would complement each other, definitely. It’s the Pirlo/Gattuso model that Sir Alex Ferguson loved so much. But Pogba has been majestic at times in this game.

87 min After a good cross from Wan-Bissaka, Greenwood’s first-time shot is blocked.

86 min A double change for United: Juan Mata and Mason Greenwood replace the impressive pair of Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard. Beans.

85 min Mount hits a cracking low shot from distance that is well saved by de Gea, sprawling to his right. As Gary Neville says on Sky, he’s had a good day. A clean sheet would mean so much to him and the whole team, given the way they defended last season.

83 min “Is the scoreline a travesty?” says Christopher Faherty. “Chelsea have dominated the ball at spells and made chances but they’ve looked an open book at the back from the start of the game.”

It is now!

It was another superb counter-attack. Pogba played a one-two with Martial and surged majestically over the halfway line, beyond the defence. As Chelsea players started to catch him up, he looked up and angled a pass through to James in the area. He overran the ball slightly but recovered to hit a shot that deflected off Emerson and beat Kepa.

81 min McTominay is booked for something or other. There have been a lot of yellow cards today, although I can’t remember any bad tackles.

80 min United almost get a fourth on the counter-attack. Pogba eases a long pass forward to Rashford, who cuts inside Azpilicueta on the edge of the area and hits a shot that is blocked by Kante.

76 min It’s been a strange game. Chelsea have had more possession, more shots, more shots on target, more corners, fewer fouls. But they’re 3-0 down, and no xG analysis in the world will make them feel better.

73 min A change for each side: Kante replaces Jorginho, and the debutant Daniel James comes on for Andreas Pereira.

72 min Although this scoreline is a travesty, it’s a reminder of how dangerous this United team can be on the counter-attack, both through the running of Rashford, Martial and Lingard and the passing of Pogba.

72 min It was Lindelof who was booked in the 69th minute, not McTominay.

71 min Zouma heads over the bar; Emerson has another shot from distance saved by de Gea.

69 min McTominay is booked for a foul on Kovacic.

68 min Between those goals, Tammy Abraham was replaced by Olivier Giroud.

That was an expertly taken goal. Pogba, just inside his own half, sprayed a brilliant pass over the top to find Rashford, who made a sharp run infield away from Azpilicueta. He killed the ball beautifully with his instep, just outside the area, and passed it to the left of Kepa.

The goal came on the counter-attack after Maguire robbed Abraham on the edge of the box. Rashford overhit an angled through pass to Lingard, who retrieved the ball on the right of the area and eased it to Pereira on the wing. He whipped a wicked cross into the six-yard box, where Martial got in front of Azpilicueta and forced the ball through Kepa.

64 min Chelsea haven’t been as threatening in the last 10 minutes, though they are still dominating possession. If it stays like, Daniel James or Mason Greenwood will surely come on for United.

62 min Pereira hangs the corner up towards Maguire, who wins it at the far post but can only head it back across goal. Chelsea clear.

62 min Martial tries to wriggle away from Zouma, who runs the ball behind for a United corner.

58 min A first change for Chelsea: the debutant Christian Pulisic replaces Ross Barkley,

58 min Abraham is booked for a foul on McTominay.

57 min “I see your point about McTominay and Fletcher,” says Andrew Hurley. “But do you not think players like Fletcher, the Nevilles etc function very well when they have great players around them but are exposed otherwise?”

I thought that Fletcher, for two years until he was out for a long period, was as good as anyone in the world in his position. In 2009-10 he was the driving force of a relatively mediocre team. Not saying McTominay will ever be that good but he could have a similar influence.

56 min A fizzing long-range from Emerson is beaten away by de Gea, falling to his left. He’s made a few saves today, although most have been relatively comfortable.

54 min Maguire, who had stayed forward after a United corner, tees up Rashford for a stinging shot that is blocked on the edge of the area.

52 min Jorginho is booked for a cynical foul on Lingard, who had beaten three players with a brilliant counter-attacking run.

51 min Pedro’s long-range curler takes a slight deflection and goes behind for a corner. United need to change something here because a Chelsea equaliser is in the post, and probably a winner too.

50 min Chelsea have started the second half strongly. If they don’t equalise they have some decent options on the bench, including Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic.

49 min “There was some very incompetent football in that first half,” says Rachel Clifton. “Watching in a completely (apart from me and mate) empty pub called The Churchill in NYC. Popping into the loos to be inspired by old Winston’s speeches which they play non-stop.”

Are you serious? I’m all for a bit of Churchill, but a pungent 15x12 cubicle isn’t traditionally the place where I urgently need to hear some inspirational rhetoric.

48 min Lingard is booked for a foul on Kovacic.

47 min “Sloppy?” says Mary Waltz. “You bet. Putting too much pressure on De Gea and Maguire to bail them out? When you have one of the best goalies in the world why not. Will this work against Liverpool and MC? Probably not. Are you not entertained? Yes I am.”

What’s the antonym of eavesdropping?

46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half.

“If Rashford was a different nationality... it’s odd how his profligacy is readily accepted, not even 1 in 4 (and he takes penalties),” says Andrew Hurley. “He will, as usual, have five games where he looks full of potential, then disappear, but the hope will always be there for next season. United have another one of these in Martial. With Sanchez having lost his verve and seemingly desire, who will score for United this season? They look woefully short up front (and in centre midfield, where a player like McTominay should be 5th choice if United have decent midfielders). How have they spent so much money and ended up like this?”

I like Rashford, personally. I thought the same about McTominay, but he was a revelation against Barcelona last season, has a great attitude (which is important in this team) and could - could - have the same influence as Darren Fletcher.

I know what you mean, though - despite spending £700m in the last five seasons, this team needs loads of work. The biggest problem is the lack of a coherent strategy, so they now have a squad that has been put together by five different (very different, in some cases) managers. They need to give somebody three years minimum to sort the mess out. I doubt they will, though.

“As he was such a scapegoat last year, I would like to give a shout-out to Jorginho for his incisive passing, movement, and positioning,” says Adam Kline-Schoder. “Even though it’s certainly early days, I really like the look of a much-less-constrained-by-a-strict-system Jorginho. I think it’s always good when footballers are given the platform they need to perform to the max, which he seems to have now. I am hopeful that realising that this (rather than slow, ponderous, sideways passing) is his baseline will inspire a select subset of Chelsea supporters to take another chance on him!”

Yes he’s played two or three lovely passes to cut out the United midfield. He and Barkley have been really impressive.

Half-time reading

45+1 min Two minutes of added time.

45 min I don’t think you can play Pogba in a midfield two. It worked for France because of the quality of those alongside and behind him, but in this team it is putting far too much pressure on Scott McTominay and the defence.

44 min Rashford plays a cute pass inside the area to Martial, who then decides to play silly buggers and is dispossessed.

40 min: Emerson hits the post! This is absurd. Chelsea could be 3-1 or 4-1 up. Jorginho’s chipped cross somehow finds its way through to Emerson, lurking to the left of the six-yard box. He takes a touch and thrashes a rising shot that hits the inside of the post and rebounds to safety.

39 min: Chance for Chelsea! Pedro finds Barkley on the left of the area. He moves the ball away from Lindelof and hits a left-footed shot that is kicked away by de Gea.

As David Brent didn’t say, I don’t call this a scoreline, I call it a scorelie: Chelsea have been excellent, much the better team.

37 min “Pogba’s changed his mentality over the summer then?” says Kevin Wilson. “I don’t get his Harlem Globetrotter shtick; you’ve got bloody teammates.”

I’m sensing rancour.

36 min Zouma, who is having a bit of a beast, is booked for a bad tackle on Pereira.

36 min Pedro shoots straight at De Gea from 25 yards. Chelsea are looking dangerous again.

35 min Barkley curls a crisp low shot just wide from 20 yards. De Gea had it covered, I suspect, but it was a good effort from a player who has started very brightly.

34 min: Rashford has a goal disallowed for offside. And he was miles offside.

32 min Wan-Bissaka, who has had an excellent start to his United career, surges back to tackle Barkley and thwart a dangerous Chelsea break.

31 min Mount wastes a good opportunity. Barkley found him on the right of the area with a penetrative angled pass that went through McTominay. Mount should have taken the shot on but instead tried to cut it back towards Abraham. It was overhit and Wan-Bissaka cleared.

29 min Chelsea, who were winded by the goal, have started to move the ball around again. Some of their passing and movement has been excellent.

26 min United have had 69 per cent possession in the last 10 minutes. It’s an intriguing game between two young, keen yet vulnerable sides.

24 min The goal has calmed United down, and they are starting to look better on the ball.

22 min Christensen is receiving treatment after being caught in the face by Pogba’s arm as they both went for a header.

21 min Pereira’s mishit free-kick from the left finds its way through to Maguire beyond the far post. His driven cross is deflected behind for a corner, which comes to nothing.

19 min That goal wasn’t against the run of play; it was an affront to the run of play.

It was a clear penalty, a really clumsy tackle from Zouma after Rashford turned back inside him near the edge of the box.

15 min As Gary Neville points out on Sky, Rashford is not going back to defend against Azpilicueta, so Shaw has to deal with both him and Pedro.

12 min Mount receives pass 25 yards from goal, gets the ball out of his feet and cracks a good shot that is saved by de Gea. This has been a superb start from Chelsea and a troubling one for United.

11 min Chelsea have had 68 per cent of the possession so far.

10 min There’s a bit of a strut about Chelsea. After another good passing move, Pedro’s low cross drifts right across the six-yard box, just in front of the unmarked Abraham. He would have had an open goal.

7 min: Martial misses a good chance! Chelsea tried to play out from the back, only for Zouma to slide an abysmal pass across the edge of his own area. It ran past Jorginho, the intended target, and went straight to Martial, whose first-time curler was too close to Kepa. He didn’t really get hold of it.

6 min “Hi Mr. Smyth,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Lovely to see that you’ve swapped MCC blazer for football rattle and prawn sandwich. Great also to see Mou back in the PL, although as a pundit this time with Sky. He’s box office, no doubt, and worth watching. I can’t help thinking that these three pundits have Spurs too far ahead of the chasing pack of Chelsea, United and the Arsenal, though, especially with Arsenal’s summer and their beginning to mature under a proven manager. I think Mou’s quite astute here in saying that a number of other clubs will also be running the top six pretty close come May. I’m so excited I could go on a foreign owner protest march.”

5 min This is a superb start from Chelsea, who looked dynamic and confident.

4 min: Abraham hits the post! The Chelsea corner was only half-cleared by United and came back to Abraham on the edge of the area. He rolled Rashford, turned and hit a thunderous first-time shot that beat de Gea and slammed off the far post.

3 min Chelsea have started confidently. Mount springs down the right and hits a cross that is headed behind by Maguire.

2 min Emerson has an early run at Wan-Bissaka, who wins the ball decisively to prompt a lusty cheer from the Stretford End.

1 min Peep peep! United get the match under way, kicking from left to right. They are in red; Chelsea are in blue. It looks like United are playing Rashford on the left and Martial up front.

Having heard Solskjaer’s interview, I suspect Manchester United will play a diamond midfield, with Lingard behind Rashford and Martial. We’ll soon find out, tactics fans.

Pre-match interviews

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

“I’ll tell [Maguire and Wan-Bissaka] to just go and enjoy playing at Old Trafford. This is what they’ve been waiting for. They arere two players who we’re sure will be fan favourites.

“The first game is always emotional. Things happen that you can’t normally explain. You want to build momentum. Football is a results business; it’s always the last game that you remember and discuss.

“Anthony Martial, by nature, is more of a No9 than a winger. He’s a goalscorer, tricky in and around the box, and we want to get him as close to the goal as possible.”

Frank Lampard

“I hope Mason continues his form with Derby last season and then in pre-season – I think he stepped up a level there and he deserves his opportunity. He’s got energy in abundance but he’s also got quality. This is a big test for him but I’ve got complete confidence – not just today but as a player in general.

“We’ve got a tough game. We want to make a good start and we’re confident going into the game.”

Harry Maguire speaks

“I’m really proud to join this club and I’m looking forward to playing now. It’s a big game to start. We want to be on the front foot and play in their half. The atmosphere will be unbelievable – I played here last year on the opening as well and I know it will be great.”

José Mourinho department

“I guess this is naïve,” says Francis Mead, “but Angel Gomes looks a fantastic player. Please just put him in the team and play him. Give him a chance - please, please, please.”

He was included in the matchday squad. What more do you want?

Both managers have picked young sides. The oldest player in in the United team is the captain David de Gea, 28. The oldest outfield player is Jesse Lingard, who is reportedly 26.

Chelsea have only three players over the age of 25 - Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and the game’s only thirtysomething, Pedro.

What a difference 11 years makes

There’s just over half an hour remaining at St James’ Park, where Newcastle are playing Arsenal. You won’t believe the score!

Essential pre-match reading

This transfer news, from the PA wires, is best digested with a nice Chianti

Highly-rated Monaco teenager Hannibal Mejbri is heading to Manchester United in a $10m deal, subject to FIFA clearance.

The 16-year-old’s future has been subject to widespread speculation this summer, with Leicester and Tottenham among those understood to be after the midfielder.

But United have announced that they have “reached an agreement with Monaco for Hannibal Mejbri to join the club subject to FIFA approval”.

PA understands the deal to be worth up to $10m (£9.3m), with the Ligue 1 club receiving half up front and the rest in potential add-ons.

Bjorn Hardley, previously with NAC Breda, is another player awaiting international clearance, but United have confirmed three other under-18 players have received the required clearances.

Dillon Hoogewerf has arrived from Ajax and Mateo Mejia from Real Zaragoza, while goalkeeper Johan Guadagno has joined from IF Brommapojkarna.

United also announced that Under-23 squad members Paul Woolston and Luca Ercolani have signed new contracts.