Leicester City ended a run of three games without a win and inflicted a first home defeat of the season on fellow Championship promotion candidates Queens Park Rangers in Saturday's lunchtime kickoff.

The only goal of the game came four minutes before the break when Jamie Vardy guided David Nugent's flick-on onto his right foot before drilling low past Robert Green into the far corner.

Rangers saw plenty of the ball and had their chances, but were wasteful in front of goal and also had Joey Barton sent off for two bookings inside a minute.

First, he was cautioned for a flailing arm that caught Leicester substitute Gary Taylor-Fletcher, before reacting angrily and kicking the ball at an opponent.

Below, Sports Mole digs a little deeper into the action at Loftus Road as Leicester join Rangers on 42 points.

Match statistics:

QPR:
Shots 20
On target 6
Possession 61%
Corners 4
Fouls 14

Leicester:
Shots 9
On target 2
Possession 39%
Corners 5
Fouls 12

Was the result fair?

QPR certainly had their chances, but it was a solid defensive display from Leicester and they at least deserved a point. So perhaps not the fairest final score but credit to Leicester for coming to the toughest ground in the Football League this season and taking all the points, especially with the run of form they were on.

QPR's performance

The likelihood of QPR going unbeaten at home all season was small and manager Harry Redknapp will be even more gutted that it went to one of the sides that they are tussling with at the summit. Today, the form books favoured his side massively and they certainly dominated the stat sheet. However, they were far from clinical up front and the defending for Leicester's goal will be questioned. Take no credit away from the Nugent-Vardy combination, though. As route-one goals go, it was a gem. Barton's short temper got him sent off and he will now miss the next match at Nottingham Forest.

Leicester's performance

Nigel Pearson's side have had an extremely difficult week and overall the Leicester manager will be pleased with the outcome. Last weekend they had to face the other pacesetter in the Championship, Burnley, and managed a 1-1 draw. Next was a visit from Premier League giants Manchester City in the League Cup. That may have ended in a 3-1 defeat but today's huge victory means it will be a happy Christmas for the Foxes. Defensively they were pretty good and the centre-back duo of West Morgan and Liam Moore kept Rangers' dangerman Charlie Austin relatively quiet. At the other end, Vardy showed the likes of Gary O'Neil, Matt Phillips, Charlie Austin and Niko Kranjcar how to finish a chance when it is presented to one.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Liam Moore: Vardy came close for his constant running and excellent goal, but Moore's solid display at the back just gets it. He also made a vital clearance off the line to keep out

Biggest gaffe

Although QPR had plenty of chances, Leicester squandered a great chance to double their lead soon after half time when Lloyd Dyer was played in. The left-winger just had Green to beat but dragged his shot horribly wide.

Referee performance

Paul Tierney had to deal with a number of QPR penalty appeals, but he rightly waved them all away. Barton tweeted after the game that the red card was "ridiculous", but he has a reputation and does not help himself.

What next?

QPR: Redknapp's men can get back to winning ways when they travel to Forest on Boxing Day this Thursday.

Leicester: The Foxes, meanwhile, host Reading on the day after Christmas.