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.