Manchester United’s long-awaited return to the Champions League began with Michael Carrick’s men cruising to a comprehensive 4-0 victory against minnows Sabah.

The Red Devils’ 300th match at Europe’s top table was their first on this stage for 1,003 days and felt more like a Europa League match given it was on a Thursday night and against the champions of Azerbaijan.

Far tougher tests await in the league phase but United were able to enjoy a straightforward evening after a topsy-turvy start to the season, with Matheus Cunha putting them ahead midway through the first half at Old Trafford.

Joy-Lance Mickels wasted a glorious chance to equalise for Sabah, who this week celebrated their ninth birthday, and the hosts duly punished them as Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko struck before the break.

Lisandro Martinez added gloss as Carrick rung the changes with half an eye on Sunday’s return to Premier League action against rivals Manchester City, who will have had two extra days to prepare for the derby.

Carrick made four changes from Sunday’s late draw at Everton and United made a bright start, with Cunha forcing an unconvincing stop and Noussair Mazraoui hitting the side-netting.

Sabah were pinned back in what at times felt like a defence against attack exercise, with Sesko just prevented from meeting a Fernandes cross before Mbeumo was denied.

United were slow but patient and the inevitable breakthrough arrived in the 27th minute.

Patrick Dorgu, deployed at left-back in the absence of Luke Shaw, sent over a wonderful first-time cross that Cunha met from close range with a strike into the ground and into the net.

Sesko hooked a volley wide as United’s dominance continued, but Sabah had some quality in their team and so nearly scored a famous equaliser.

Play was spread right to Kaheem Parris after they won the ball in United’s half, with his clipped cross headed into the side-netting at the far post by Mickels.

The Sabah striker could not belief his miss – a 36th-minute let-off that the hosts punished emphatically.

Fernandes patted Youri Tielemans on the chest after the summer signing showed exceptional awareness to cut back for him to score at the end of a free-flowing team move six minutes later.

Another United goal followed in the 45th minute. Mbeumo slipped Sesko through to dart past outrushing goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov and coolly roll into an empty net on the striker’s first start of the season.

Mason Mount replaced Tielemans at the break as the result was all but assured, with Cunha and Fernandes denied from distance during a low-key start to the second period.

Tymoteusz Puchacz fired a long-range free-kick narrowly off target as Sabah sought a consolation, only to concede from a United set piece shortly afterwards.

Fernandes sent a quick, looped free-kick to substitute Joshua Zirkzee, whose backheel caused chaos as Martinez stabbed home in the 68th minute.

There were few flashes of excitement from that point as Sabah kept the hosts at bay defensively and pushed for a memorable end to their debut in the league phase of Europe’s top competition.