Ricardo Pereira’s solo strike opened the scoring at the King Power Stadium, before Steve Bruce’s side were reduced to ten men when Isaac Hayden was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Dennis Praet.
Jamie Vardy doubled the Foxes’ advantage after the restart, and Paul Dummett’s unfortunate own goal, Vardy’s second of the evening and a last-gasp goal from Wilfred Ndidi wrapped up a miserable trip to the East Midlands for the Magpies.
The first chance fell to the hosts, and to a face familiar to the travelling Newcastle supporters. Ayoze Pérez met Harvey Barnes’ low cross and looked certain to score, but Martin Dúbravka held on well.
Hayden’s cross-shot across the face of goal at the other end almost presented Yoshinori Muto with an opener shortly after, but it was Brendan Rodgers’ side who looked the most threatening going forward in the early exchanges. Youri Tielemans’ deflected volley found the sidenetting inside the opening quarter of an hour, and moments after they took the lead.
The move was started and finished by Ricardo, who set off down the right flank, aided by Pérez’s delicate flick into his path. The full back continued infield before taking aim with his left foot, and the shot zipped past Dúbravka into the bottom corner.
Midfielder Praet saw an effort blocked while Christian Atsu’s rising drive indicated United’s intent to apply pressure on the counter-attack, but their hopes were dealt a major blow just before the break. Hayden slid in to challenge for a loose ball with Praet and caught the Belgian after getting his foot to the ball, but referee Craig Pawson issued a straight red card.
The dismissal heralded a reshuffle for those in black and white, with Muto making way for Ki Sung-yueng, but seven minutes after the restart it was two. Leicester broke quickly down the left with Barnes supplying a pass for Vardy, who was running in behind the Magpies’ backline. The former England forward took it early, keeping his half volley low to squeeze it beyond Dúbravka.
The Foxes’ third, which arrived minutes later, came from some more swift attacking movement and ended with Praet finding space on the right. He looked to centre it, but the ball took a cruel deflection off Dummett, wrongfooting Dúbravka and finding the net.
Vardy’s second of the evening, a firm header from Marc Albrighton’s deep cross, made it four just after the hour mark on a day to forget for Newcastle, who introduced Andy Carroll and DeAndre Yedlin from the bench as the pair continue their comebacks from injury.
And Wilfred Ndidi’s finish on the turn, which bobbled into the bottom left-hand corner, completed the scoring for the hosts in the game’s dying moments.
