Leicester gain confidence boosting win
Leicester City 6 - 2 QPR
James Justin scored twice as Leicester City thrashed QPR at a foggy King Power Stadium, securing their place in the FA Cup fourth round.
Leicester City 6 - 2 QPR More reaction coming here ~ eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com/p/fa-cup-202... youtu.be/nu8GIhBoWi4?...
— European Super Football (@superfootball.bsky.social) 12 January 2025 at 10:07
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Stephy Mavididi, Facundo Buonanotte, and Jamie Vardy also found the net for Ruud van Nistelrooy's side, who came into the match on the back of five consecutive Premier League defeats.
Justin opened the scoring with a close-range finish, stretching to meet Buonanotte's curling free-kick. QPR hit back through Jonathan Varane, who rifled in a long-range strike, but Leicester quickly regained the lead when Mavididi calmly slotted home from Bilal El Khannouss' low cross.
Moments later, El Khannouss turned provider again, surging into the box and delivering a pinpoint cross for Buonanotte to head in from six yards.
Just before half-time, Rayan Kolli capitalised on a misplaced pass from Harry Winks to drag QPR back into the contest.
Leicester restored their two-goal cushion early in the second half when Harrison Ashby handled in the box, allowing Vardy – celebrating his 38th birthday – to convert the resulting penalty.
Justin sealed his brace with a superb angled drive into the bottom corner, and Wout Faes capped off the scoring with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area in stoppage time.
Foxes find their shooting boots at last
Leicester’s precarious position in the Premier League may have shifted focus away from the FA Cup this season, but this emphatic win will undoubtedly lift spirits.
Van Nistelrooy, an FA Cup winner with Manchester United in 2004, expressed his admiration for the competition before the game and stayed true to his word by making only three changes to the side beaten by Aston Villa last weekend.
In contrast, QPR made six changes to the team that defeated Luton in the Championship earlier in the week. Despite being 13th in the second tier, they competed well in the first half, with Varane’s stunning equaliser momentarily keeping them in the contest.
More news from the mighty QPR can be found here
Thick fog blanketed the stadium for much of the match, making visibility challenging. However, Leicester’s Premier League quality shone through at crucial moments, particularly thanks to the energetic performance of El Khannouss.
Kolli’s goal before the interval gave QPR hope, but Vardy’s penalty early in the second half effectively ended their resistance. Leicester’s six goals marked their highest tally of the season so far, providing a timely confidence boost ahead of their crucial clash with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
For QPR, this defeat extends their miserable FA Cup record, with 52 third-round exits – the most of any side in the competition’s history.
Another picture of the fog
Leicester fan reaction
Frank, a Leicester fan, told us: "I’ll start with the negatives: QPR dominated the opening half-hour of the match, and both of their goals stemmed from some careless play by Winks, who should be more aware. I am not convinced by the Winks and Soumare partnership in midfield.
More positively, we were a lot more clinical. We will need to carry that form into the Premier League if we are going to avoid relegation."
A Leicester City YouTuber called The Final Whistle also gave his perspective of the match. It's clear, like Frank, he has taken away a lot of positives but knows there are more difficult battles to come over the next few weeks.
