Premier League
LeicesterLeicester City5QPRQueens Park Rangers1

Leicester City 5-1 Queens Park Rangers

By Steve CanavanBBC Sport
Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy
Leicester's Jamie Vardy became the most expensive non-league footballer when Leicester signed him from Fleetwood Town for £1m in 2012
  • Leicester have picked up 22 points since 4 April
  • Vardy and Austin score after England call-ups
  • QPR's 25th loss of season - club record in Premier League
  • Foxes finish on 41 points, six clear of relegation zone

Jamie Vardy celebrated his England call-up with a goal as Leicester hammered relegated QPR.

Vardy, 28, grabbed his fifth of the season as the Foxes - bottom at the start of April - made it seven wins in nine games.

Marc Albrighton doubled the Foxes tally, before Leonardo Ulloa, Esteban Cambiasso and Andrej Kramaric added further goals after the break.

QPR's Charlie Austin, also called-up by England, headed a consolation.

Pearson hopes Cambiasso will stay

It was a fitting end to the season for Nigel Pearson's side, who had already achieved the seemingly impossible and secured Premier League football for a second successive season.

Pearson's team were bottom of the table and seven points adrift at the beginning of April but have picked up 22 points from the last nine games to avoid relegation and a return to the Championship.

For Chris Ramsey, meanwhile, in his first game in permanent charge of QPR, it was proof that a major rebuilding job is required over the summer as he prepares for life in the second tier.

Ramsey criticises 'schoolboy' defence

QPR were simply outclassed by a Leicester side that were in party mode from the first whistle and dominated throughout.

Vardy - named in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the games against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia next month - opened the scoring on 16 minutes when he pounced on an error by QPR keeper Alex McCarthy, who spilled a tame-looking effort from Riyad Mahrez.

Albrighton, a threat all afternoon, ran unchallenged into the area to ram home Jeffrey Schlupp's cross and make it 2-0.

Foxes top-scorer Ulloa notched his 13th of the campaign, though he did not know much about it - Wes Morgan's deflected shot hitting him in the chest and going in - before crowd favourite Cambiasso drilled in a fourth.

Austin salvaged some pride for the visitors by rising beautifully to head in Joey Barton's cross.

Vardy and Cambiasso departed to a standing ovation before substitute Kramaric pounced on yet another defensive error by the visitors to complete the demolition.

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson on Jamie Vardy's England call-up: "Being called up is a reflection of his development as a player and of the sort of team he has played in. If you are going to break into the England side you need to be playing exceptionally well - but also your team-mates need to be playing well as well."

On Esteban Cambiasso's future: "It is unbelievable that he has been able to perform at the level he has in a side that has not always been able to produce winning results. He has been a big part of us retaining our status. I hope he stays but he needs time to reflect."

QPR boss Chris Ramsey: "We are in the position we are because we haven't had the quality to takes chances when they come and because we've made too many errors in defence. Everybody here wants to look to the future and to start putting plans in place to get back to where we want to be as a club."

The final day of the Premier League season, as it happened.

Leicester v QPR, as it happened.

Leicester City's Esteban Cambiasso
The fans chanted after the final whistle for Esteban Cambiasso to stay - he has yet to decide whether to play for Leicester again next season
QPR striker Charlie Austin
QPR striker Charlie Austin ended the season with 18 goals from 35 Premier League starts
Leicester City's Marc Albrighton
Marc Albrighton's only other goal this season was in a home defeat to Chelsea in April

Line-ups

Leicester

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 1Schmeichel
  • 27WasilewskiSubstituted forde Laetat 45'minutes
  • 14Huth
  • 5Morgan
  • 11Albrighton
  • 19CambiassoSubstituted forDrinkwaterat 76'minutes
  • 10King
  • 15Schlupp
  • 26Mahrez
  • 23Ulloa
  • 9VardySubstituted forKramaricat 65'minutes

Substitutes

  • 2de Laet
  • 3Konchesky
  • 4Drinkwater
  • 7Hammond
  • 32Schwarzer
  • 39Wood
  • 40Kramaric

QPR

Formation 4-4-2

  • 12McCarthy
  • 15Onuoha
  • 22Dunne
  • 6Hill
  • 13YunSubstituted forKpekawaat 85'minutes
  • 7Phillips
  • 20HenrySubstituted forComleyat 80'minutes
  • 8Barton
  • 10Fer
  • 9Austin
  • 39Grego-Cox

Substitutes

  • 21Murphy
  • 23Hoilett
  • 36Doughty
  • 38Furlong
  • 41Comley
  • 42Kpekawa
  • 45Petrasso
Referee:
Michael Oliver
Attendance:
31,467

Match Stats

Home TeamLeicesterAway TeamQPR
Possession
Home46%
Away54%
Shots
Home22
Away18
Shots on Target
Home7
Away2
Corners
Home5
Away6
Fouls
Home7
Away6

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Leicester City 5, Queens Park Rangers 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Leicester City 5, Queens Park Rangers 1.

  3. Post update

    Charlie Austin (Queens Park Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  4. Post update

    Foul by Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City).

  5. Goal!

    Goal! Leicester City 5, Queens Park Rangers 1. Andrej Kramaric (Leicester City) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner.

  6. Substitution

    Substitution, Queens Park Rangers. Cole Kpekawa replaces Yun Suk-Young.

  7. Post update

    Foul by Charlie Austin (Queens Park Rangers).

  8. Post update

    Andy King (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  9. Post update

    Attempt missed. Matthew Phillips (Queens Park Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner.

  10. Post update

    Corner, Queens Park Rangers. Conceded by Jeffrey Schlupp.

  11. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Brandon Comley (Queens Park Rangers) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

  12. Substitution

    Substitution, Queens Park Rangers. Brandon Comley replaces Karl Henry.

  13. Substitution

    Substitution, Leicester City. Daniel Drinkwater replaces Esteban Cambiasso.

  14. Post update

    Attempt missed. Nedum Onuoha (Queens Park Rangers) header from very close range is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Joey Barton with a cross following a corner.

  15. Post update

    Corner, Queens Park Rangers. Conceded by Robert Huth.

  16. Post update

    Leroy Fer (Queens Park Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  17. Post update

    Foul by Andy King (Leicester City).

  18. Post update

    Attempt missed. Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Marc Albrighton with a cross following a corner.

  19. Post update

    Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Nedum Onuoha.

  20. Post update

    Attempt missed. Robert Huth (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Esteban Cambiasso with a cross following a corner.