Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert proved himself to be the coolest man in Molineux as he claimed a slice of Premier League history on November 30.
Kluivert scored a hat-trick with a difference as the Cherries beat Wolves 4-2 to continue their excellent form under Andoni Iraola.
The defeat was sure to sting Iraola’s opposite number Gary O’Neil due to its self-inflicted nature. All three of Kluivert’s goals came from the penalty spot — an incredible feat that puts the Dutch forward into a very exclusive club.
Has anyone scored a hat-trick of penalties before in the Premier League?
No one had previously scored a hat-trick of penalties in the Premier League until Justin Kluivert got stuck into Wolves. A tip of the cap must also go to his team-mate Evanilson, who became the first player to win three penalties in the same Premier League match.
The VAR era and the uptick in penalty awards it has brought means Kluivert might not be out on his own for long, but for now it’s a club of one.
? PREMIER LEAGUE HISTORY ?@justinkluivert is the first player in #PL history to score a hat-trick of penalties ?
Evanilson is the first player in #PL history to win three penalties in a single game ?
SCENES. pic.twitter.com/hKpAjOSAiF
— AFC Bournemouth ? (@afcbournemouth) November 30, 2024
England international Wayne Rooney and Matt Le Tissier each scored a dead-ball hat-trick — trebles comprised of penalties and free-kicks — making them technically the closest to Kluivert’s unique feat.
It’s notable that Kluivert’s Premier League first came in the same season as Harry Kane scoring the first penalty hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League as Bayern Munich demolished Dinamo Zagreb 9-2.
Former Liverpool playmaker Jan Molby scored what was probably English football’s most famous penalty hat-trick when he netted all three from 12 yards in a 1986/87 EFL Cup victory over Coventry City at Anfield.
For the previous top-division penalty hat-trick in England, you have to go all the way back to 1957, when Ken Barnes did likewise for Manchester City against Everton.
Kluivert joins a great of the game with his accomplishment. Brazil striker Ronaldo put away three spot-kicks in the white-hot atmosphere of a World Cup qualifier against bitter rivals Argentina in June 2004.
That came five years on from Argentina being involved in undoubtedly the most infamous penalty hat-trick of all time: in a 3-0 defeat to Colombia at the 1999 Copa America, Martin Palermo missed all three of his attempts from 12 yards.
