Leaders Leicester rout promotion rivals Derby

London: Leicester surged seven points clear at the top of the Championship after routing promotion rivals Derby 4-1 on Friday.

Nigel Pearson`s team were in dominant form at the King Power Stadium as they underlined their promotion credentials and in the process dealt a blow to one of their main challengers for a place in the Premier League. Richie De Laet`s first goal in just over a year gave Leicester the lead in the 25th minute and their advantage could have been even greater before half-time as Jamie Vardy and Liam Moore saw efforts strike the woodwork. Former England striker David Nugent made it 2-0 three minutes after the interval before De Laet`s own goal in the 59th minute briefly gave Derby hope of snatching a point. Nugent scored his second from the penalty spot on the hour and a deserved goal for Vardy four minutes later killed off Steve McClaren`s fourth placed team. The Rams, now 10 points behind Leicester, were emphatically out-played as they slipped to a second successive league loss and an eighth defeat in their last nine matches against the Foxes - including a third to Pearson`s team this season. Second placed Burnley and third placed QPR will try to reduce Leicester`s advantage at the top when they play Yeovil and Ipswich respectively on Saturday.