Bruno Fernandes scored his first Manchester United hat-trick and Paul Pogba produced four assists as they made a superb start to their Premier League challenge with a 5-1 win over Leeds United.

With Old Trafford buoyed by the signing and introduction of Raphael Varane on the pitch before kick-off, the returning fans were treated to an excellent attacking display.

Fernandes and Pogba – aided by a generous Leeds defence – were to the fore, the former benefiting from Pogba's creative talents in opening the scoring on the half-hour mark.

Pogba laid on two further assists for Mason Greenwood and Fernandes to put United in command in the second half after Luke Ayling's screamer had briefly levelled matters.

And, after Fernandes completed his treble, the former Juventus man teed up Fred to complete the rout in the 68th minute.

Leeds' defending throughout the first half was distinctly haphazard and Illan Meslier had to be alert to turn the ball behind after Pascal Struijk's backpass deflected off Greenwood.

Greenwood was involved again as he slid Pogba through on goal, only for the France midfielder to waste a golden opportunity and fire wide of the near post.

Yet Leeds refused to heed those warnings and Pogba made amends with a superb pass to tee up Fernandes after Meslier punted the ball straight to Scott McTominay, the Portuguese squeaking the ball under the goalkeeper's legs.

For all United's dominance in the first half, they were pegged back three minutes into the second when Ayling left David de Gea with no chance with a vicious right-footed drive from just outside the area.

But Old Trafford was in a stunned silence for just over three minutes as Pogba responded in equally remarkable fashion, his pinpoint long-range pass met by Greenwood, who raced down the left flank and restored the hosts' lead with a strike across the face of goal that went in off the post.

Solskjaer's men then gave themselves breathing room as Pogba made it a hat-trick of assists by finding Fernandes, whose neat turn sent Junior Firpo to the turf and was followed by a composed finish that Ayling could not prevent from crossing the line.

Fernandes' third breached the Leeds goal much more emphatically, Victor Lindelof this time the supplier as United's number 18 latched onto his ball over the top and beat Meslier with an unstoppable volley.

A hugely enjoyable day for the United fans was rounded off by Fred's simple close-range finish and Jadon Sancho coming off the bench to make his debut, Pogba leaving the pitch to a standing ovation after a display that illustrated why signing him to a new contract should be top of the club's to-do list.

What does it mean? Pogba proves his worth

With his often-uneven performances for United, some may question whether Solskjaer needs to make the effort to persuade Pogba to sign fresh terms.

He had only three assists in 26 league games last season but in this outstanding demonstration of his undoubted quality, he became the seventh player in Premier League history to lay on four goals in a single game, showing how valuable he can be to United's title challenge and why the club should look to keep him around long term.

Fernandes fires on all cylinders

Fernandes' hat-trick was the 10th scored on the opening weekend in Premier League history and came despite him finishing the game with 0.59 expected goals (xG). The ruthlessness that saw him score 18 league goals in the previous campaign is very much still intact and his ability to maintain that will play a defining role in United's efforts to dethrone Manchester City.

Leeds don't learn their lesson

Having lost this same fixture 6-2 last season, Leeds might have been expected to find a way to show more defensive solidity this time around. But a balance between defence and Marcelo Bielsa's exciting brand of attacking football is clearly still lacking. They became the first club to concede two opening-day trebles, Mohamed Salah putting three past them for Liverpool last season.

Key Opta Facts

- Manchester United won their opening Premier League game of a season for the 20th time, the first club to hit that milestone in the competition's history.

- Leeds United have conceded 5+ goals in each of their last two away games against Manchester United in all competitions (also 2-6 in the league last season), as many times as in any of their previous 50 on the road against the Red Devils.

- Since his competition debut in February 2020, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 48 Premier League goals (29 goals, 19 assists), four more than any other player in this time.

- Paul Pogba became the seventh player in Premier League history to assist four goals in a single game in the competition, after Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor, Santi Cazorla and Harry Kane.

- Fernandes became the first Manchester United player to score a hat-trick on the opening day of a league season since Lou Macari vs Birmingham City in 1977-78.

What's next?

United will look to stretch their excellent away form of 2020-21 into the new campaign when they visit Southampton next Sunday. Leeds welcome Everton to Elland Road a day earlier.