Leicester breezed into a commanding 4-1 advantage in the first leg of their Europa Conference League knockout play-off against Randers, but James Maddison was forced off during the second period after requiring medical attention.
The Foxes took the lead in the 23rd minute when Wilfred Ndidi exchanged passes with Ademola Lookman before side-footing the ball into the bottom corner.
The Danish visitors then silenced the King Power Stadium in first-half stoppage time minute as captain Vito Hammershoy-Mistrati struck past Kasper Schmeichel to draw Randers level.
Leicester regained the lead four minutes into the second half as after Lookman tried to get a strike away, the ball broke to Harvey Barnes and he turned and fired into the net.
Six minutes later Brendan Rodgers’ men were 3-1 up, with Patson Daka diverting the loose ball in after Youri Tielemans’ shot was parried by Patrik Carlgren.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made it 4-1 in the 74th minute, sweeping the ball in having been teed up by Lookman. Maddison fell unopposed not long after coming off the bench with the midfielder withdrawn as a precaution as a team of medics rushed to assist him but he was able to leave the field unattended.
“He [James Maddison] wasn’t feeling well so we took him off,” Rodgers confirmed afterwards. “He is in with the medics and he feels fine.”
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Rodgers acknowledged his side had been struggling to defend the dead ball but stressed they would been working hard on their “concentration, will and ruthlessness”.
It was a tie with special meaning for Leicester’s Danish duo Kasper Schmeichel and Jannik Vestergaard. Some 600 supporters travelled over to the Midlands from Denmark for their club’s first competitive outing in England.
Randers did not exist when Schmeichel began his career in the Manchester City youth set-up but they have established themselves in the Danish top flight and are seven points off the lead ahead of the resumption following their winter break.
This was one of the biggest games in their 19-year existence but save for a shot from Tosin Kehinde, Randers were forced to do plenty of defending early on.
Their task was to ensure this tie was still alive ahead of next week’s return leg, but they fell behind on 23 minutes when Ndidi swept home Lookman’s pullback via the boot of Jakob Ankersen.
By then Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes and Daka had all wasted good openings, and Carlgren was forced into action once more when Tielemans brilliantly found Dewsbury-Hall only for his shot to be kept out by the outstretched right boot of the Randers goalkeeper.
Leicester were seeking their first clean sheet in Europe this season – and first in seven games in all competitions – but they were pegged back right on the stroke of half-time.
Daniel Amartey was unable to head home the rebound after Caglar Soyuncu’s shot was saved, and Randers took full advantage of the reprieve as Marc Albrighton’s slip allowed Tosin Kehinde to make progress down the right and his low cross was tucked in first time by Hammershoy-Mistrati.
Leicester had 13 shots in the opening period to Randers’ two, but within nine minutes of the second half the hosts had established a two-goal lead.
Barnes showed fine composure to slot home after Carlgren had denied Lookman and Randers were still gathering themselves when Leicester were celebrating a contentious third.
Daka looked like he was in an offside position as he tapped into an empty net following Tielemans’ parried shot.
By now it was damage limitation for Randers but their evening was compounded when Simon Piesinger was beaten too easily by Lookman down the right and his low ball was swept into the net by the impressive Dewsbury-Hall.
Rodgers added: “We are disappointed with the goal we conceded right on half-time but I think we continued right on from our game with West Ham. Our mantra, in terms of being positive with the ball and progressive.
“I thought we started well in the first half and created numbers of opportunities in the first and second half. Their keeper has made some fantastic saves. But I am delighted. It is obviously only the first game but to get the four goals and create so much was very encouraging.”
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