Leicester 6-2 QPR: James Justin hits brace and Jamie Vardy scores penalty in thrilling FA Cup third round tie played in very foggy conditions

In a season where Leicester have been battered and bruised, the FA Cup becomes the haven that offers a taste of revival.

This was the free-scoring therapy they needed after weeks of angst. Five defeats in a row, with two scored and 14 conceded, threatened to turn Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first Premier League job into a hellscape.

Here, peering through the fog, his shouts turning to icicles before they crossed the touchline, he saw a blueprint for how his Foxes might look and feel – high turnovers, sharp on the counter, threatening down the wing, and clinical like he was in his 384-goal joyride on the grass.

This was the first time Leicester had scored six since 2013. The King Power Stadium came to resemble an operating theatre as they sliced apart an in-form QPR with gleeful abandon, though this performance was far from perfect, particularly for an error-strewn Harry Winks.

Van Nistelrooy was sufficiently pleased. ‘A performance where you’re able to score six goals is always a good performance,’ he said.

‘I enjoyed the third goal the most. It was a great move with a lot of movement and coordination that we tried to work on. When things pull off like that it’s a great satisfaction.

The FA Cup third round clash at the King Power Stadium was played in foggy conditions

James Justin scored twice for the Foxes as they progressed to the FA Cup fourth round

‘I feel like we’re in a process where we’re getting better, looking at things better in a certain way.’

Detractors will say it’s only QPR, but they are no small fry. Their recent history has been marred by turmoil and revolving doors but in Marti Cifuentes they have a man after their own heart. They had lost one of their last 11 coming into this.

Leicester enjoyed a rapturous start when James Justin slid home from Facundo Buonanotte’s eighth-minute free-kick, with QPR’s defence seemingly confused by the mist.

But Jonathan Varane levelled with a howitzer of a strike from 25 yards 10 minutes later after Winks’ sloppy pass.

Leicester soon reasserted dominance with two quickfire goals.

Stephy Mavididi robbed Newcastle loanee Harrison Ashby in his own half and finished from close range after Bilal El Khannouss cut back. Then Mavididi hung a cross in the box for Buonanotte to crash in a header from six yards.

Calamity struck on the stroke of half-time. A woeful back pass from Winks and a lethargic response from Wout Faes saw Rayan Kolli presented with the whites of Jakub Stolarczyk’s eyes and he found the corner. 3-2. All to play for.

Leicester were vengeful after the break. Celebrating his 38th birthday, Jamie Vardy converted another penalty at his favourite watering hole after Harrison Ashby handballed while trying to block Mavididi’s cross.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was pleased at how their training ground routines were carried out

Leicester ended a torrid run of five defeats with their first six-goal haul since 2013

Justin managed to open the scoring for Leicester against QPR after just eight minutes 

Stephy Mavididi was on the scoresheet for Leicester in an entertaining victory

Wout Faes rounded off Leicester’s victory as he netted his side’s sixth goal late on

Right-back Justin added his second on 63 minutes with a low drive – a ‘perfect’ response to his recent critics, Van Nistelrooy said.

In the dying embers, Faes got in on the act with a thunderstrike from the edge of the area.

‘The performance during many minutes was very good but the result is extremely disappointing,’ said QPR boss Cifuentes.

‘I don’t remember the last time a team that I coached conceded six goals. It’s not the level or standards I expect. We knew we were playing against a Premier League side, so by giving them chances, we know they have the quality to punish.’

For QPR this was a record-extending 52nd third-round exit in the last century. Leicester march on, the dream of their 2021 FA Cup triumph shimmering in their hearts.