A hat-trick from David Connolly and another from strike partner Mark de Vries steered Leicester City to an impressive 4-2 victory over 10-man Stoke City at the Walkers Stadium on Tuesday evening.

De Vries' opener - his first since the victory over Millwall back in April - together with Connolly's treble ensured the Foxes picked up three valuable points after Saturday's opening day defeat at Sheffield United.

Junior was sent off for The Potters in the second-half for an off-the-ball incident but goals from Marlon Broomes and John Halls kept their side in the hunt.

However, it was to be Leicester's night as they left the pitch to a standing ovation.

New signing Peter Gilbert was handed his first Championship start of the season with teenager Richard Stearman dropping to the bench.

But after the visitors made a bright start, Paddy McCarthy found his way into referee Paul Taylor's notebook as early as the third minute for a foul on Darel Russell.

From the resulting free-kick, Russell should have opened the scoring following a goal-mouth scramble, but with the goal gaping, the striker miscued his shot wide of the target.

At the other end, David Brammer had to be alert to divert de Vries' cross-shot behind for a corner in the seventh minute before Joey Gudjonsson's thunderous goal-bound shot was deflected behind.

De Vries was again in the thick of the action minutes later when Gareth Williams' cross from the right was flicked on by Connolly, but the Dutchman saw his header narrowly drop over the bar.

However, the hitman did find the back of the net on 14 minutes for his second goal in a Foxes shirt.

Jason Wilcox's teasing cross from the left was exquisitely dummied by Connolly and de Vries composed himself at the far post before unleashing a venomous shot past Steve Simonsen for the opener.

The home side continued to pile on the pressure and Simonsen saved well from Connolly's low shot from the edge of the penalty on 23 minutes before Gudjonsson's long range effort flew narrowly over the bar.

After a lull in play, Rab Doulgas collected well from Martin Kolar's free-kick then Mamady Sidibe's hanging right-wing cross was just too high for Russell in the 36th minute.

A minute later the Stoke fans thought their side had equalised but Russell's neat turn and shot from 18-yards flew narrowly wide.

But that was to be the striker's last action of the game as he limped off injured five minutes before the break and was replaced by Bruce Dyer.

Foxes manager Craig Levein was left fuming in the closing stages of the first period when an advancing Connolly looked to have won his side a penalty after going down under a clumsy challenge in the box.

But the referee waved play on much to the partisan crowd's bewilderment.

The Potters were the first to show after the interval but Sidibe's volley flew wide of Douglas' upright.

On 51 minutes Momo Sylla brought down Connolly's pull-back from the by-line but saw his dipping effort clear the crossbar before Connolly sent a header just wide of the target two minutes later.

After a neat build-up involving Sidibe and Dyer in the 58th minute, Luke Chadwick thought he had drawn the visitors level but his drilled shot grazed the outside of Leicester's post and the home side survived the scare.

However, Stoke were reduced to 10-men just after the hour when Junior was sent-off after an off-the-ball incident involving Gilbert.

But this did not seem to phase the visitors who duly equalised on 64 minutes.

Carl Hoefkens headed a corner back into the danger area and Broomes fired the ball into the back of the net for the leveller.

But the Foxes refused to press the panic button and made it 2-1 only a minute later thanks to Connolly's second goal in as many games.

Gudjonsson's free-kick fell at the feet of the marksman and he made no mistake from eight-yards, ignoring Stoke's appeals for offside before rifling the ball into the roof of the net past Simonsen.

The goalkeeper was then booked for dissent as the players retreated to the centre-circle.

Elvis Hammond replaced Sylla for his home debut on 70 minutes then Chadwick somehow blazed the ball over from yards out.

As the tempo dramatically increased, Hammond forced Simonsen to parry away his vicious shot in the 77th minute with Williams just failing to get to the rebound.

Connolly helped himself to his second and the hosts' third eight minutes from time when the striker latched onto Williams' perfectly weighted through ball and made no mistake from the left-hand angle for a perfectly-executed finish.

Halls ensured a frantic finish when he converted Chadwick's pull-back with two minutes remaining but Connolly completed his hat-trick - his fourth goal in two matches - in stoppage time to ease the nerves and secure his side a 4-2 triumph.

City: Douglas, Gilbert, Johansson, McCarthy, Maybury ©, Sylla (Hammond 70), Gudjonsson, Williams, Wilcox, Connolly, De Vries. Subs not used: Henderson, Gerrbrand, Stearman, Wright.

Stoke: Simonsen, Halls, Hoefkens, Duberry, Broomes, Chadwick, Junior, Brammer, Kolar, Russell (Dyer 40), Sidibe. Subs not used: De Goey, Buxton, Henry, Taggart.

Referee: Paul Taylor (Hertfordshire)

Bookings:

City: McCarthy (3), De Vries (70)

Stoke: Simonsen (66)

Sendings-Off

Stoke: Junior (61)

Attendance: 20,519