Leicester City beat Derby County for the second time in three weeks to once again ease the pressure on manager Marti Cifuentes.

Just as December started with the Spaniard overseeing a vital 3-1 win at Derby to seemingly save his job at the time, the Foxes ensured the month ended with an equally important, if less emphatic, result against the Rams.

While there was a sense of déjà vu about Bobby De Cordova-Reid putting the Foxes ahead early on with a first-time finish, just as he did at Pride Park, the Rams were this time quick to respond through Rhian Brewster.

Jordan James showed strength and poise to restore Leicester's lead with a cool side-footed finish beyond Jacob Widell Zetterstrom just before the break.

Leicester resisted long spells of second-half pressure from Derby to hold on for the much-needed win after damaging back-to-back defeats had large sections of the Foxes fan base again calling for Cifuentes' to be sacked.

The result means Leicester will sit 12th in the second-tier table at the start of 2026, a year in which the club mark the 10-year anniversary of their astonishing Premier League title win – a sporting triumph in which the 5,000-1 outsiders confounded expectations to gatecrash their way to English football's biggest prize.

While Leicester are six places adrift of the play-off spots, and there remain loud grumbles of discontent among supporters about the current state of the club, Cifuentes' side are just four points behind the top six and among a pack of promotion hopefuls.

Despite the loss, Derby also remain among the play-off aspirants at the midway stage of the season, being just two points and two places below their regional rivals.

There had been a near 12-year gap between Leicester and Derby league meetings before the rivalry was resurrected earlier this month, and De Cordova-Reid has relished it – with his two goals against the Rams in 23 days being among his four in six matches.

But the lead he gave the Foxes on Monday lasted just three minutes, with Brewster coming up with an equally clinical first-time finish after meeting a piercing low cross from Callum Elder.

Both sides carved out half chances before James made the most of a searching ball forward from Luke Thomas, outmuscling Liam Thompson on the edge of the box before composing himself to find the bottom corner.

Derby pressed for a leveller after the break against a Leicester side hit hard by injury, with Hamza Choudhury limping off and Aaron Ramsey lasting only three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.

And still, the only save of consequence after the break came from Derby's Zetterstrom as he tipped a misdirected header from Ebou Adams over the bar to ensure an own goal did not increase the Leicester lead late on.

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester:

"In this league you need to grind it out, and definitely I'm happy. I'm especially happy for the fans, they were outstanding today and I appreciate that for what has been a tough year for everyone.

"The players did a good job in a very difficult game, they fought and did their best during difficult moments in the second half.

"It's always important [to win a derby game]. We played them a few weeks ago and managed to get three points after a good first half, and today the first half was very good again.

"It was disappointing to take the lead and to concede so soon after, but the guys showed the kind of mentality we ask them to have."

Derby County boss John Eustace told BBC Radio Derby:

"I'm disappointed to lose the game. I thought the lads put 100% in and their attitudes were a different class. We just lacked that quality in the final third, really.

"Those were two really poor goals [to concede] - we switch off, we don't track a runner in midfield and while I thought Tommo [Liam Thompson] was excellent in the game, James was too strong for him and he got in behind.

"With both goals, that little bit of concentration was lost and we were punished for it.

"The effort was there for everyone to see. The group gave their best after a tough game [a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City] a couple of days ago."