James Justin netted his second brace of the season, propelling Leicester City to a commanding 6-2 win over QPR and securing their advancement to the FA Cup’s fourth round.
Under the guidance of interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester delivered a professional performance in the second half, marking the Dutchman’s second victory at the helm.
This win could also provide a boost to the Foxes’ Premier League survival efforts.
In the early stages at the King Power Stadium, shrouded in fog, Justin opened the scoring for Leicester.
QPR responded with a powerful strike from Jonathan Varane to level the match. The hosts then extended their lead with goals from Stephy Mavididi and Facundo Buonanotte.
Just before halftime, Harry Winks carelessly passed the ball to Rayan Kolli, who capitalized to reduce the deficit to 3-2. However, Leicester’s quality shone through in the second half.
Justin’s second goal, a penalty from Jamie Vardy on his 38th birthday, and a stunning long-range effort from Wout Faes ended a streak of five consecutive defeats for the Foxes.
Leicester took the lead in the ninth minute when Buonanotte’s pass left goalkeeper Joe Walsh stranded, allowing Justin to tap into an empty net.
QPR, in good form, equalized ten minutes later with Varane’s stunning shot that flew past Jakub Stolarczyk into the bottom corner.
Leicester missed a golden opportunity to regain the lead when Vardy, inside the six-yard box, uncharacteristically blazed over.
The visitors nearly took the lead after Stolarczyk’s pass went straight to Koki Saito, who found Kolli, but his shot narrowly missed the upright.
QPR continued to press, with Saito’s deflected effort from range being spilled over the crossbar by Stolarczyk.
Against the run of play, Leicester restored their lead. Bilal El Khannouss maneuvered into the area and cleverly cut back to Mavididi, who stroked the ball beyond Walsh.
Leicester flexed their muscles, adding a third three minutes later. El Khannouss was the creator again, chipping a cross into Buonanotte, who nodded in.
QPR were handed a lifeline when Winks played a stray pass straight to Kolli, who fired home.
Any momentum that QPR may have gathered following the end of the first half was instantly dismissed by Leicester after Harrison Ashby handled the ball inside the box.
Vardy stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards for his seventh goal of the season.
Substitute Patson Daka then enforced a three-on-two situation and sprinted into the opposition box to tee up Justin before Faes got in on the act in stoppage time with a long-ranger for Leicester’s sixth.
