U21s Report: Loughborough Dynamo 0 Leicester City 9

- Dodoo scores a 16-minute hat-trick in the first half 

- Panayiotou opens the scoring and adds another before half-time 

- Blyth converts from the spot and scores again after the break 

- Substitutes Watson and King round off the Foxes’ win 

- New Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri watches on from the stands 

Leicester City’s Development Squad recorded an emphatic pre-season victory over Loughborough Dynamo at the Nanpantan Sports Ground on Wednesday evening. 

With new Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri watching on from the stands, Steve Beaglehole’s outfit continued their irresistible goalscoring form following their 6-2 friendly win over Derby County last time out. 

City found themselves 6-0 up at the break thanks to a 16-minute hat-trick from Joe Dodoo, a double from Harry Panayiotou and Jacob Blyth’s penalty. 

Loughborough improved in the second half, but Leicester were emphatic with their finishing, adding three more goals thanks to Blyth, Ryan Watson and Keenan King. 

It was a brilliant start from the Foxes, who took the lead with just three minutes on the clock. Dodoo’s 20-yard effort hit Joe McCormack’s upright, and Panayiotou was on hand to slot in the loose ball. 

Panayiotou again found himself in space just moments later, forcing McCormack into a good save at his near post with eight minutes gone. 

Maintaining their pressure, City doubled their lead on the quarter-hour mark in superb fashion. Matty Miles curled a pin-point cross into Dodoo, who controlled the ball with his chest before hammering home to make it 2-0. 

And just three minutes later, it was 3-0. The relentless Panayiotou pinched the ball in midfield and played a neat one-two with Blyth before lashing in a deflected shot from distance. 

Further chances would fall City’s way as Blyth drew a smart stop from McCormack. The striker then turned provider just minutes later, heading across goal to Dodoo, who volleyed in from close range to make it 4-0. 

The Foxes’ first-half dominance continued, and they found themselves 5-0 up with just over half an hour gone. Defender Callum Elder ventured forward and slipped in Dodoo, who latched onto the through-ball and side-footed in. 

A sight on goal for Loughborough came just before the break, but after finding space in the box, striker Luke Edwards couldn’t convert, and Leicester rounded off a fine first-half performance with a sixth goal. 

More good work from Dodoo down the left saw the winger hauled down in the box, and Blyth converted from the spot to make it 6-0 at half-time. 

City shot-stopper Jonny Maddison was called into action early in the second period, saving from Edwards at the near post, but it would be the visitors who would score the next goal as Blyth nodded in on the hour mark to put his side 7-0 up. 

Then, two goals in the space of two minutes from substitutes Watson and King put City into a nine-goal lead. First, midfielder Watson rattled in an effort off the crossbar, before King fired in from a difficult angle on 74 minutes. 

Maddison did have some work to do in the dying stages, tipping a deflected shot wide with some excellent reflexes, but the evening belonged to the Foxes, who recorded a sensational win in Loughborough. 

City next face the Nike Academy at St. George’s Park on Saturday 25 July before rounding off their pre-season schedule with a trip to Corby Town on Saturday 1 August. 

LOUGHBOROUGH: McCormack, Shaw (Pheasant 58), Dawkins (Meer 68), Williams (Edwards 46), Marriott, Sibson, Browne, Maddison (Leggitt 46), Edwards (Clarke 65), Norris (c), Hart (Wingfield 65) 

CITY: Maddison, Miles, Elder, McCourt (c), Sesay, Davis, Scott (Watson 46), Cain, Blyth (Moore 70), Panayiotou (King 59), Dodoo (Stankevicius 59) 

SUBS NOT USED: Smith-Varnham 

GOALS: Panayiotou 3, 18, Dodoo 15, 25, 31, Blyth pen 41, 60, Watson 72, King 74