Manchester United took apart Leicester's shambolic defence, giving Jose Mourinho's men a timely shot in the arm as the reigning champions' descent continued.
Few expected Claudio Ranieri's men to scale the same heights as last season's fairytale Premier League triumph, yet few could have foreseen such a drop-off.
Leicester end the weekend just a point off the drop zone after United condemned them to a fourth consecutive top-flight loss, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata racking up a 3-0 win as comfortable as it sounds.
Victory saw the Red Devils bring the Champions League spots within two points as Mourinho's players responded to his calls to be more clinical, ending a frustrating run of three straight league draws in the process.
Mkhitaryan's exceptional run and finish saw United break the deadlock three minutes before the end of a tight first half, with Ibrahimovic's first-time strike 88 seconds later giving them a comfortable lead at the break.
Leicester needed to respond but Ranieri's men wilted under the King Power Stadium floodlights and Mata, who was perhaps fortunate not to receive a first-half red card, turned home four minutes after the restart.
There were no further blows to fragile Leicester's confidence but the manner and margin of this loss means all eyes are on the reigning champions, whose efforts were booed at the final whistle.
How did we rate the players? Take a look at the gallery at the top of this article to find out.
Do you agree with our ratings? Who was your man of the match? Let us know in the comments.
Additional reporting by PA
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