Manchester United strolled to an emphatic win vs LA Galaxy in the opening game of their US tour – as new signings Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof made their debuts.
Jose Mourinho played two different sides in either half, using most of the personnel available to him, and was rewarded with a comfortable win.
Marcus Rashford scored twice in his 45-minute outing, with Marouane Fellaini grabbing United's second.
United continued where they left off after the break,with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial also getting on the scoresheet, although Galaxy scored two late consolation goals.
Here are five things we learned from the opening game of United's US tour at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles, where a crowd of 25,667 watched them win.
Here's our man David McDonnell with five things we learned:
1. Rashford hits the ground running
The only time Marcus Rashford put a foot wrong in his 45-minute outing against LA Galaxy was in the 43 minute, when he was one-on-one with Galaxy keeper Jon Kempin, with his hat-trick beckoning. Instead of applying an assures finish, as he had done for United's first two goals, Rashford was unsure of himself for the first time on the night, and allowed Kempin to smother the ball.
That blip aside, Rashford looked sharp throughout and showed he is ready to hit the ground running when the new season gets under way.
2. Mourinho experiments with a back three
Jose Mourinho has rarely changed from a back-four during his glittering managerial career, but did so a few times last season, notably in United's 2-0 home win over Chelsea, their best performance of the campaign.
Here, in the opening game of their US tour, Mourinho deployed a back three of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Daley Blid, with Antonio Valencia and Jesse Lingard in the wing-back roles.
With LA Galaxy offering nothing in attack, United's back three were hardly tested, but the players looked comfortable in the system, which Mourinho said was an alternative defensive option if required next season.
3. New boys make good starts
United fans had to wait until the second-half to see new signings Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof make their debuts, and both made decent enough showings in the famous red shirt.
Lindelof, a £30million arrival from Benfica, was deployed in the middle of a three-man defence and looked competent and alert, although he did allow Giovani dos Santos to cut away from him to score Galaxy's consolation goal in the 79 minute.
Lukaku, a £75m signing from Everton, made his physical presence count up front and fashioned some chances, and made some decent forward runs, but was unable to grab a goal.
4. Martial tries to make case
Anthony Martial endured a difficult second season at United, managing just eight goals compared to the 17 he plundered in his debut campaign following his £36m move from Monaco.
Mourinho called him out publicly over a perceived lack of focus on a couple of occasions, and Martial's impressive second-half display here suggested the France forward has returned with a real desire to put last season's problems behind him and remind his boss and United fans of his enduring value.
Martial set up Henrikh Mkhitaryan for his goal and got on the scoresheet himself, ahead of what is going to be a crucial campaign for the 21-year-old.
5. Galaxy do nothing to enhance MLS reputation
Considering they are halfway through the MLS season and supposedly at peak fitness and sharpness, LA Galaxy were abysmal in the first-half, failing to muster a shot on or off target and managing just one corner, as United dominated against them, establishing a 3-0 lead by half-time, when Mourinho changed his entire personnel.
Galaxy improved slightly after the break, when more of their established players – like former Arsenal and Chelsea left -back Ashley Cole – came on, and they managed to score twice late on.
But this limp display did nothing to enhance the reputation of the MLS or its supposed improving standard.