City Cruise Into FA Cup Fourth Round

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City Cruise Into FA Cup Fourth Round

A much-needed 6-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers booked our place in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup and got Leicester City back to winning ways on Saturday.

2025-01-11T16:11+00:00

by Sam Stevens

Published

11 Jan, 2025

from King Power Stadium

City Cruise Into FA Cup Fourth Round

A much-needed 6-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers booked our place in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup and got Leicester City back to winning ways on Saturday.

Sam Stevens

2025-01-11T16:11+00:00

City Cruise Into FA Cup Fourth Round

A much-needed 6-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers booked our place in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup and got Leicester City back to winning ways on Saturday.

Sam Stevens

2025-01-11T16:11+00:00

City Cruise Into FA Cup Fourth Round

A much-needed 6-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers booked our place in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup and got Leicester City back to winning ways on Saturday.

Sam Stevens

2025-01-11T16:11+00:00

City Cruise Into FA Cup Fourth Round

A much-needed 6-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers booked our place in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup and got Leicester City back to winning ways on Saturday.

Sam Stevens

2025-01-11T16:11+00:00

A brace from James Justin was added to by Stephy Mavididi, Facundo Buonanotte and Jamie Vardy, as Wout Faes also unleashed an added-time screamer to reward the Blue Army for braving sub-zero temperatures. Jonathan Varane and Rayan Kolli found the net for the visiting Hoops too, but Ruud van Nistelrooy's men were good value for the win as Premier League quality shone through. The Manager was clearly in no mood for a cup upset at King Power Stadium, going strong with his starting XI. Faes and Buonanotte were back in the side after last Saturday’s Premier League reverse at Aston Villa, but it was a line-up which wouldn’t turn any heads if named for a top-flight outing. A low, thick fog hung over Filbert Way at kick-off, and stayed there all afternoon, a smokescreen which added an extra variable for each side to contend with as the UK continues to freeze during this bitter cold-snap. More than anything, City needed a morale boost after a rough festive schedule yielded no points and saw us drop into the relegation zone. That being said, this clash with Rangers was the first of a three-game run of home fixtures which could prove crucial for our bid to remain in the Premier League beyond 2024/25.

The Foxes faithful came out in their numbers despite the conditions on Filbert Way.

It took just eight minutes for City to go in front in the dense fog, a Buonanotte free-kick being tidily dispatched on the volley by Justin in the area. Elsewhere, Vardy, on his 38th birthday, nearly doubled his side's advantage with their next surge forward. The FA Cup winner, mind you, sent his powerful hit crashing towards Kenneth Paal. Martí Cifuentes’ Hoops arrived in the East Midlands in red-hot form, with just one loss in their last 11 outings – propelling them up the Championship table at pace. When this FA Cup tie was pulled out the hat back in early December, the west London outfit were in the bottom three. Now, a late-season dash towards the play-offs isn’t at all out of the question. A shoot-on-sight policy was evidentially their strategy in the elements and it was a viable one as well. Ilias Chair first rocked Jakub Stolarczyk’s post from 25 yards, diverted there by an excellent fingertip intervention from the Pole. The Foxes’ No.41 wasn’t able to get close on the 18th minute, though, as Varane – half-brother of Manchester United’s Raphaël – picked out the bottom corner from the fringes of City's penalty area.

Stephy Mavididi's fifth goal of the season kept City's noses in front.

Things aren’t simple for Leicester at the moment, as we came into this one on the back of five successive defeats. These are the times which test your mettle and van Nistelrooy’s men were eager to dampen QPR’s spirits before they could build any momentum. When Vardy clipped over inside the six-yard box, it may have felt like a bad omen for the hosts. Although the visitors did have their moments in the first half, City would nevertheless restore their dominance before the break, despite the visitors threatening a comeback. Cifuentes’ visitors twice went close before our second goal, Ryan Kolli curled over before Stolarcyzk also tipped Koki Saito’s deflected drive over the bar. Just as the tide seemed to be turning for the Hoops, Bilal El Khannouss advanced through the middle, skidding the ball into Mavididi to send a simple close-range finish past Joe Walsh. Buonanotte’s header – again teed up by El Khannouss – then gave Leicester some breathing room at 3-1, but they weren’t able to keep QPR out in first-half added time, as Kolli capitalised on a stray back-pass from Harry Winks to narrow the arrears.

Jamie Vardy toasted his birthday with a goal from the penalty spot.

That strike was ultimately a mere irritation though as, five minutes into the second half, visiting full-back Harrison Ashby handled in the box. His arm was in an unnatural position on the byline to halt Mavididi's scooped cross, aimed towards the near post. Vardy, the birthday boy, stepped up and rifled home his 197th goal for the Club – and his seventh of 2024/25. Leicester were starting to run away with it. Just after the hour mark, two newly-introduced subs – Oliver Skipp and Patson Daka – combined down the middle to keep City on the front foot, the latter commuting the ball forwards, nudging it into Justin’s the path. Our No.2 was on his bike down the right channel and a laser-like low drive gave Walsh no chance in the QPR goal, arrowed into the far bottom corner. In added time, though, Faes wasn't done – dispossessing Frey midway through the QPR half and barrelling forwards, belting a sumptuous hit into the far bottom corner to make sure. With a much-needed win on the board, while there will be eyes on the FA Cup Fourth Round draw on Sunday, all focus now returns to league duties. A double-header against Crystal Palace and Fulham over the coming week is now a crucial opportunity to get climbing up the table.

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