Fixtures

Drogba the last of the MW1 hat-trick heroes

18 Jun 2018

Strikers will be looking to emulate Chelsea striker's treble in 2010/11, the most recent opening-day treble

It is the start of dreams: to score a hat-trick on the opening day of the Premier League.

But it is an achievement that has proved elusive, even to the league's best strikers.

The PL's leading scorer, Alan Shearer, scored 11 hat-tricks in the competition but not one on the opening day.

Indeed, none of the top 18 goalscorers in Premier League history have achieved this feat.

The honour belongs to only seven players.

Mick Quinn claimed the first, in Coventry City's 3-0 victory over Arsenal at Highbury in 1993/94.

In fact, Coventry are the only club to boast two opening weekend hat-tricks. Dion Dublin added a second for the club in August 1997 as Coventry beat Chelsea 3-2.

The previous season, the Sky Blues were on the receiving end of an individual three-goal show, on a day when two were scored on the opening Saturday of the campaign.

On 17 August 1996 Kevin Campbell scored all of Nottingham Forest's goals in their 3-0 victory at Coventry, while up at The Riverside Stadium Fabrizio Ravanelli marked a memorable Premier League debut with a treble in Middlesbrough's 3-3 draw with Liverpool.

The last player to claim the match ball in Matchweek 1 was Didier Drogba, as Chelsea opened their season with a comprehensive 6-0 win over West Bromwich Albion eight seasons ago.

Since then more than 100 Premier League hat-tricks have been scored, including eight by Harry Kane and six by Sergio Aguero.

When the 2018/19 season begins on 11 August, will these two or another striker step forward to take home the new Nike Merlin ball?

PL opening weekend hat-tricks

Player	Season	Club	Opponent
Mick Quinn	1993/94	COV	ARS
Matt Le Tissier	1995/96	SOU	NFO
Kevin Campbell	1996/97	NFO	COV
Fabrizio Ravanelli	1996/97	MID	LIV
Dion Dublin	1997/98	COV	CHE
Gabriel Agbonlahor	2008/09	AVL	MCI
Didier Drogba	2010/11	CHE	WBA