QPR out of FA Cup after 6-2 defeat in foggy Leicester

FA Cup third round

Leicester City 6 (Justin 8, 63, Mavididi 35, Buonanotte 38, Vardy (pen) 51, Faes 90+3)

Queens Park Rangers 2 (Varane 18, Kolli 45+3)

Two James Justin goals, a wonder strike from Wout Faes and a Jamie Vardy penalty - on his 38th birthday - helped Leicester on their way to a 6-2 win over Queens Park Rangers at the King Power Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup today.

Amid dense East Midlands fog, which was a threat to the survival of this game throughout, Rangers battled hard, coming from a goal down then pegging Leicester back to 3-2 just before the break, before ultimately succumbing to the Premier League side in the second half.

Marti Cifuentes made six changes to the team which lost at Luton on Monday, but the neutral wouldn't have known that - with the west Londoners more than holding their own in the first period.

Leicester took the lead in the deepening gloom after eight minutes. Facundo Buonanotte's excellent free-kick from the left was converted by the sliding leg of Justin - goalkeeper Joe Walsh caught in no-man's land as he came for the ball.

Rangers were level after 18 minutes. First Ilias Chair saw a shot well saved by Jakub Stolarczyk, but soon after Harry Winks gave the ball away in the right-back position and QPR worked it to Jonathan Varane, who struck a wonderful 25-yard drive past Stolarczyk in the Leicester goal.

The roar from the west London faithful behind the goal at the other and told us in the press box there was not problem with seeing from one end to the other - the test for the survival of the match.

Vardy missed a sitter shortly afterwards. A cross from the left was helped on by Varane and Vardy, who looked suspiciously offside despite the assistant's flag staying by his side, somehow shot over the bar from just six yards out. 'Rooney, Rooney,' sang the R's fans in reference to the tabloid battle Vardy's wife Rebekah had with Wayne's spouse Coleen.

The lack of visibility appeared to be forcing the players into a number of mistakes. Leicester lost it at the back and Rayan Kolli shot just over.

But Leicester were ahead 10 minutes before the break - against the run of play. QPR this time lost the ball in their right-back position and Bilal El Khannouss worked the ball to Stephy Mavididi who took his time to place a shot past Joe Walsh for 2-1.

And it was 3-1 just three minutes later, Buonanotte powering home a header after a fine, flowing move and cross from the left by El Khannouss.

Rangers were back in it in first-half stoppage time. Yet another mistake, again by Harry Winks, surrendered the ball to Kolli, who struck past Stolarczyk to make it 3-2.

But the Foxes' two-goal cushion was restored six minutes after the break. Mavididi's cross was blocked by the hand of Harrison Ashby as he slid to intercept. Vardy made it 4-2 from the spot.

Then a sweeping move ended with a pass from Patson Daka and a fine shot into the bottom left corner of the goal from Justin, before Faes' emphatic drive from 30 yards put the icing on the cake for Leicester, seeing them through to round four.

The R's fans were still able to see the funny side - "we'll see you all next year" they sang - more than was possible for much of today.

Teams:

Leicester: Stolarczyk, Justin, Faes, Coady, Winks (Skipp 60), Vardy (Daka 60), Mavididi (Mcateer 66), El Khannouss (Ayew 60), Kristiansen, Soumare, Buonanotte (De Cordova-Reid 82)

QPR: Walsh, Clarke-Salter, Field (Morgan 70), Chair (Smyth 70), Saito (Frey 82), Edwards, Ashby, Paal (Colback 72), Madsen, Kolli (Llloyd 72), Varane

Referee: David Webb

Picture: The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha statue at the King Power Stadium, a tribute to the club's former owner (Picture: Charlie Stong)