Six players who scored hat-tricks on the opening day of the Premier League: Fernandes, Salah...
- Sean Fisher
- 17 August 2021
It’s important to hit the ground running in the Premier League - these six players burst straight into a sprint.
Whether it be high-scoring thrillers or surprise upsets, the opening-day of the season often rewards us with memorable moments.
This time around, it was Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes who hogged the headlines courtesy of his opening weekend hat-trick against Leeds United.
After scoring the opener, Bruno added a further two strikes in the second half as he and Paul Pogba, who registered four assists, ran the show.
United's 5-1 win put them top of the fledgling table, and with Southampton up next, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping for more of the same from his Portuguese talisman.
In celebration of Bruno's impressive intro, Planet Sport takes a look at five other players who have started the season with a bang by scoring a hat-trick on the opening weekend.
Mohamed Salah - 2020
Fernandes' opening day hat-trick was the first since, well… last season when Salah managed the same feat in Liverpool's opening-day clash against newly promoted Leeds.
In Liverpool's first game as Premier League champions, Salah made sure they started as such by netting the opener from the penalty spot just four minutes into the fixture.
Stalwart centre-back Virgil van Dijk carried his superb 2019/20 form into the new season and headed in from a corner to reclaim Liverpool's lead, but Leeds pegged back Jurgen Klopp's side once more with an equaliser on the half-hour mark via Patrick Bamford.
Salah once again etched his name on the scoresheet just three minutes after Leeds found a way back into the game. However, the visitors dug in their heels and found a third equaliser through Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich.
However, just like many times before, it was the Egyptian forward who had the last say, as he netted an 88th-minute penalty to complete his hat-trick and give Liverpool their first three points of the season.
Raheem Sterling - 2019
Salah and Bruno's opening-day feats came in the seasons following Raheem Sterling's opening-day hat-trick for Manchester City - a hat-trick of hat-tricks?
Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring 25 minutes in, but West Ham held on until half-time to limit Pep Guardiola's side to a slender lead.
Still not satisfied with the lead, Sergio Aguero found his way onto the scoresheet with a late penalty, but it was Sterling who capped off a resounding performance as he netted the final goal of his hat-trick in injury time.
Manchester City went on to lose their title to Liverpool, but Sterling himself enjoyed a hugely productive season, scoring 20 in the Premier League.
Didier Drogba - 2010
Before Sterling, the last time an opening day hat-trick was witnessed was when Drogba netted three for Chelsea against West Brom back in 2010.
Carlo Ancelotti's side ended the 2009/10 season in style, thrashing Wigan Athletic 8-0 in the final game to seal the title - and they carried their ruthless form into 2010/11.
Newly promoted West Brom were first up for the Blues, and they were quickly picked off courtesy of Florent Malouda's early goal.
Drogba's first of the day came via a pinpoint free-kick on the brink of half-time, and he doubled his tally shortly after the break, scoring from close distance.
Frank Lampard added Chelsea's fourth on the hour-mark to underline their dominance before Drogba's deflected shot in the 68th minute completed his hat-trick.
Drogba had also netted a hat-trick in the Wigan romp, meaning the Ivorian is one of just five players in the Premier League to have scored back-to-back hat-tricks alongside Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney.
Gabby Agbonlahor - 2008
With big money signings including Robinho and Nigel De Jong, City fans were expected to challenge cross-town rivals Manchester United who were at the peak of their Premier League domination.
First up for City in the league were Aston Villa, who were fresh off the back of a sixth-placed finish.
Despite all the makings of an opening-day classic, the first half disappointed and ended goalless. We don't know what was said at half-time by either manager, but it certainly brightened things up.
With the game neatly poised at 1-1, Agbonlahor took matters into his own hands and completed a perfect hat-trick inside just eight minutes. He scored his first in the 68th minute and by the time the 76th minute came around Villa were 4-1 up.
At just 21, Agbonlahor's hat-trick was seen as a breakthrough moment for Villa's young star, and he went on to net 12 goals as Villa replicated their sixth-placed finish.
Matt Le Tissier - 1995
The Southampton legend is certainly not shy of scoring, and he proved his ability once again in the Saints' opening-day clash against Nottingham Forest in 1995/96.
Le Tissier's three goals all came from set pieces. A 10th-minute penalty levelled the scores early on but despite a second spot-kick on the hour-mark and a sublime free-kick with 20 minutes remaining, Saints were left empty-handed.
To add to the forward's bad luck, he also netted a hat-trick in the final game of the 1992/93 season, but again ended up on the losing side! Unsurprisingly, he's also the first and only player to do that, too.
