Jamie Vardy's first goals of 2020 helped end Leicester City's four-match winless run in the Premier League with a dominant 4-0 victory over struggling Aston Villa.
Vardy has led the scoring charts for much of the campaign, but a calf injury and a loss of form coincided with a tough stretch for Brendan Rodgers' third-placed Leicester.
However, Villa – second from bottom and facing swift relegation back to the Championship – made for an easy target at the King Power Stadium on Monday, granting the Foxes revenge for their EFL Cup semifinal defeat.
Harvey Barnes preyed on an awful Pepe Reina error to net the 40th-minute opener after a wasteful Leicester start, beating the goalkeeper to a long ball 25 yards from goal, steadying himself and firing beyond a pair of backtracking Villa defenders.
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Vardy was introduced from the bench just before the hour-mark and had his name on the scoresheet four minutes later, as he dispatched a penalty after Tyrone Mings was adjudged to have handled in the area.
The former England striker doubled his tally with a near-post finish past Reina 11 minutes from time, and there was still time for Barnes to also convert a second, sweeping in Marc Albrighton's centre.
Dean Smith's Villa, beaten by Manchester City in last weekend's EFL Cup final, is two points from safety but does have a game in hand.
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