Ricardo Pereira opened the scoring at the King Power Stadium before Newcastle's Isaac Hayden was sent off just before halftime.

Jamie Vardy then sandwiched a second-half brace around Paul Dummett's own goal and Wilfred Ndidi completed the rout.

The win lifted Leicester above West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur and within two points of second-placed Manchester City.

"We knew the first goal was going to be important," Vardy told Sky Sports.

"As soon as we got that we wanted to keep the momentum going and we've come away with a very good victory."

Pereira got the ball rolling in the 16th minute when he played a one-two with Ayoze Perez and ran straight at the defence before sending a shot into the bottom corner.

Any hopes Newcastle had of a second win on the season were then dashed two minutes before the break when Hayden was shown a red card for his challenge on Dennis Praet.

Leicester wasted little time in capitalising on the advantage as Vardy struck nine minutes after the re-start.

Praet's shot then went in off Dummett shortly after to make it 3-0 before Vardy headed home his second and Ndidi added the finale in the 90th minute.

Newcastle remain second bottom after a fourth loss in seven league games.

"Terrible from the boys," captain Jamaal Lascelles said. "It is no one's fault but ourselves.

"We went a man down but we still had 10 on the pitch and leaking four goals is not acceptable."

Arsenal can join Leicester on 14 points with a win at Manchester United on Monday night.

Australian Associated Press