More misery for the Millers ... on-the-whistle report: Leicester City 3 Rotherham United 0

The injury-hit Millers had done well to keep out the high-flying Foxes at the King Power Stadium for 60 minutes but that all changed when the home side struck three times in quick succession.

Two goals from Patson Daka and one from Cesare Casadei did the damage, leaving the visitors nine points adrift of safety and new head coach Leam Richardson still seeking his first point after three matches in charge.

It's now 11 games since the last of Rotherham's two victories this season.

In the opening 20 minutes, they frustrated the home side who enjoyed nearly all of the possession but couldn't find a way to test goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

Around 1,600 travelling fans had made the trip down the M1 and they were in good voice in the first half as solid defending from their team continued to keep the Foxes at bay.

A tame shot from Wilfred Ndidi, gathered easily by Johansson, was the only first-half effort City could muster on target.

The Millers were so badly hit by absentees that they could name only six players on their bench.

Right-back Lee Peltier and centre-half Grant Hall were the latest casualties, leaving the visitors perilously short on numbers against the division's best team.

They had posed little threat in the Leicester half but a goalless scoreline at the break was a just reward for a sterling rearguard effort.

Five minutes after the restart, Sean Morrison produced a stunning goalline clearance to keep Rotherham level after Seb Revan's ill-judged decision to try to dribble out of his own area had gifted Daka a shooting opportunity.

Johansson, playing against his former club, got down sharply to keep out Ricardo Pereira's low shot but he was powerless on the hour-mark when the Foxes' pressure eventually told and Daka steered the ball home from close range.

Five minutes later, another Revan error left Johansson exposed and the keeper brought down the scorer who picked himself up to double his and his team's tally from the penalty spot.

Only a further seven minutes had elapsed when Casadei headed in a third for City.

The Millers remained pinned in their own half for the rest of the contest and head into the rest of the Yuletide programme feeling anything but festive.

Rotherham (3-5-2): Viktor Johansson; Hakeem Odoffin, Sean Morrison, Seb Revan; Dexter Lembikisa, Jamie Lindsay (Sam Clucas 78), Ollie Rathbone, Christ Tiehi, Cohen Bramall; Sam Nombe (Tom Eaves 69), Jordan Hugill (Georgie Kelly 69). Subs not used: Dillon Phillips, Arvin Appiah, Ciaran McGuckin.

Leicester (4-1-4-1): Mads Hermansen; James Austin (Harry Souttar 78), Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, Ricardo Pereira (Hamza Choudhury 78); Wilfred Ndidi (Cesare Casadei 69); Abdul Fatawu (Yunus Akgun 55), Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Dennis Praet 69), Stephy Mavididi; Patson Daka. Subs not used: Jakub Stolarczyk, Conor Coady, Kelechi Iheanacho, Tom Cannon.

Goals: Daka 60, pen 65, Casadei 72 (Leicester).

Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire).