Son Heung-min, Erling Haaland and Evan Ferguson matched a Premier League record with their hat-tricks on Saturday.
It was only the second time in the Premier League era that the top flight had witnessed three hat-tricks on the same day, following the efforts of Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer and Tony Yeboah in September 1995.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the two treble-trebles.
Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer and Tony Yeboah, September 23, 1995Fowler in fact scored four goals in Liverpool’s 5-2 win over Bolton, starting when he crisply dispatched Jamie Redknapp’s through-ball with his trusty left foot.
Goalkeeper David James provided a route-one assist for his second and he completed a hat-trick just after half-time when Redknapp’s cross was not dealt with. Steve McManaman set up Fowler, sporting a distinctive blond-dyed hairstyle, to curl home his fourth.
Shearer scored a record five hat-tricks in the 1995-96 season, the first coming in a 5-1 win over Coventry and starting with a close-range left-footed finish from Tim Sherwood’s corner.
Strike partner Mike Newell laid on a simple second on the hour and also provided the flick-on for Shearer to complete his hat-trick with a first-time right-footed drive seven minutes later.
Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Bolton and Tottenham were Shearer’s other victims that season.
Leeds striker Yeboah had two to his name in the three minutes leading into half-time against Wimbledon, the first a tap-in but the second an unforgettable rocket off the crossbar which is regularly listed as one of the Premier League’s greatest goals.
An instinctive touch and volley after Phil Masinga’s run caused panic in the defence to complete his treble and Leeds’ 4-2 win.
Son Heung-min, Erling Haaland and Evan Ferguson, September 2, 2023Son was first off the mark on Saturday as Spurs hammered Burnley 5-2 at Turf Moor.
His first came in the 16th minute, cancelling out Lyle Foster’s early opener, as Son brought down Pedro Porro’s long pass and played a one-two with Manor Solomon before dinking over goalkeeper James Trafford.
The Spurs captain then stroked home Solomon’s cutback and fired home from Porro’s incisive pass in the space of four second-half minutes, by which time Haaland was up and running at the Etihad Stadium.
A crisp finish from Julian Alvarez’s deflected through-ball set the Norwegian on his way in City’s 5-1 win over Fulham and he then crashed home a penalty before Sergio Gomez laid on his third in stoppage time.
In the evening kick-off, Ferguson poached his first after keeper Nick Pope spilled Billy Gilmour’s thunderbolt and then curled home a sublime second from 25 yards.
A left-footed effort which deflected off defender Fabian Schar made it three for Ferguson, Brighton and the Premier League on a memorable day.
Pedri: 'Everything going well' with Barcelona contract talks
Pedri says "everything is going well" in the talks over a contract extension with Barcelona.
The youngster has played in all 13 of Barcelona's LaLiga matches this season, helping them to sit top of the pile, with 11 wins so far.
He has already proved key in their midfield, with none of his team-mates making more interceptions than him (eight, level with Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal), while he has also scored three times.
Barcelona sporting director Deco has made no secret of his desire to sign the 21-year-old to a contract extension, and Pedri issued a promising update on the talks taking place.
"I'm very calm, my agents are handling it, I haven't had any news, everything is going well," he told Sport.
Pedri has suffered from hamstring injuries since 2021, after playing 73 matches for club and country in the 2020-21 season.
He missed a total of 25 games for Barcelona and Spain last season, including the semi-final and final of Euro 2024, having been forced off in the early stages of La Roja's quarter-final win over Germany.
However, his injury troubles look to be behind him this season, and he is hopeful he can stay settled in the Barcelona side.
"Physically, I feel good. I have consistency, which makes me enjoy football," he said. "It's a great start to the season and I hope it will continue for a long time.
"Both in the national team and in Barca, I feel comfortable. It is positional football.
"It [his injury issues] was given more airtime, perhaps because I was playing in important tournaments [for Spain] and at Barcelona, I didn't have that continuity.
"I'm working out my body. When you relapse, you look for solutions until you find the key. I have found what suits me well, and I have the continuity that I like."
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
'Nothing concrete' - Gyokeres brushes off Man Utd transfer links
Viktor Gyokeres says the rumours linking him with a January move to Manchester United are "nothing concrete".
The Sporting CP forward has been the subject of speculation following United's appointment of Ruben Amorim, though he has also been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and Arsenal after his sensational form since moving to Portugal.
He has scored 34 goals in the Portuguese top-flight this calendar year, more than double the figure managed by the competition's next-most prolific player, Galeno, who has netted 16 times for Porto.
Gyokeres' haul has come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 28.18, while his shot conversion rate sits at 27.64% in 2024 (123 shots).
Amorim, who signed a contract at Old Trafford until June 2027, signed Gyokeres from Coventry City in July 2023, though he has suggested he will not buy any Sporting players in the upcoming transfer window.
Asked about a potential move to the Premier League, Gyokeres told Fotbollskanalen: "It's fun, but not something I attach any importance to because it's talk.
"These are rumours, nothing concrete. Of course, I want to finish the season at Sporting. I enjoy my time there. I don't feel stressed about making a change in the future. We'll see when the time comes.
"He [Amorim] probably already has strikers there. It's very sad that he left [Sporting], but of course, we understand the decision. He meant a lot to me, as he gave me an opportunity and helped me evolve a lot.
"Now we are looking forward to working with the new coach [Joao Pereira]."
The 26-year-old, who scored a league-high 29 goals last campaign, has netted 23 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions this term, with 16 of those coming in the Primeira Liga.
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