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Leicester breeze past QPR

Leicester - Leicester City have celebrated their stunning escape from Premier League relegation with a breezy 5-1 demolition of relegated Queens Park Rangers on the season's final day.

Jamie Vardy marked his first England call-up with the opener and further strikes from Marc Albrighton, Leonardo Ulloa, Esteban Cambiasso and Andrej Kramaric left the home fans inside the King Power Stadium in heady mood.

Charlie Austin, another new face in England coach Roy Hodgson's latest squad, replied for the visitors, but there was nothing else for Chris Ramsey to cheer about in his first game since being made permanent QPR manager.

Nigel Pearson's Leicester finished the campaign with a run of seven wins, one draw and one defeat, giving them a 14th-place finish and taking them above the 40-point barrier in the top flight for the first time since 2001.

Leicester were unchanged from the team that had secured survival last weekend with a 0-0 draw at Sunderland and they were quickly into their stride, Ulloa curling wide and Jeffrey Schlupp hitting the side-netting.

The hosts made the breakthrough in the 16th minute following an error by QPR goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who was deputising for the concussed Robert Green.

The 25-year-old spilled a tame effort from Riyad Mahrez and 28-year-old Vardy followed up to tap in his fifth goal of the campaign.

McCarthy partially atoned by saving well from Vardy and Matt Phillips then came within inches of equalising with a 20-yard shot that beat Kasper Schmeichel, only to flash the wrong side of the post.

But Leicester made it 2-0 two minutes before half-time as Albrighton was afforded space to advance before crashing a shot high into the net.

Leicester were forced into a change at the interval, with Ritchie De Laet replacing Marcin Wasilewski, but within seven minutes of the second period, they had doubled their advantage.

First, Ulloa used his chest to divert a shot from Wes Morgan into the bottom corner, before former Argentina international Cambiasso fired home from 12 yards.

Austin claimed a consolation by heading in a cross from Joey Barton in the 57th minute to register his 18th goal of the campaign, but by then QPR were already destined to finish the season at the bottom of the pile.

And there was yet more misery to come as Kramaric bludgeoned home following a punt from Schmeichel that QPR failed to deal with.

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