Everton striker Wayne Rooney was back to his scintillating best the other night scoring a hat-trick, including a wonder strike from inside his own half, to help the Toffees thrash West Ham 4-0.
It might have been the first time he has hit three goals in one match whilst at the Goodison Park club but there have been many occasions over the years where he has been a hat-trick hero.
We looked at five of the best hat-tricks during his career:
Manchester United 6-2 Fenerbahce (September 2004)
Turning up as an 18-year-old at Old Trafford you could forgive Wayne Rooney if he had taken a while to settle in but he hit the ground running instantaneously, scoring three goals against Fenerbahce on his debut.
Despite the pressure of a £27million price tag the England striker was composed from start to finish, scoring two long-range efforts and diverting Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s pass with a precise finish. Ryan Giggs, David Bellion and Nistelrooy also added their names to the scoresheet that night.
The goals were key in helping United secure an important three points as they moved to the top of their Champions League group with victory against the Turkish side.
Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal (August 2011)
These two sides have endured a fascinating rivalry over the years but this result, in particular, will always be one of the great encounters in years gone by thanks in part to another hat-trick from Rooney.
The then United forward opened his account for the afternoon with a stunning 20-yard free-kick before combining with Ashley Young to score his second.
Arsenal’s day went from bad to worse when Carl Jenkinson was sent off before Rooney slotted the subsequent penalty as United eventually cruised to an emphatic 8-2 victory.
West Ham 2-4 Manchester United (April 2011)
Ahead of United’s trip to the capital, few gave relegation-threatened West Ham a chance of securing any points but a pair of Mark Noble penalties soon saw the Red Devils in deep trouble.
Situations like these are when you want your best players to perform and Rooney certainly did just that, spearheading United’s comeback and maintaining their position at the top of the table.
Another stunning free-kick proved to be the pick of the goals as the Reds moved seven points clear of their nearest challengers, Arsenal.
Bolton 0-4 Manchester United (October 2006)
Bolton had made the Reebok (now Macron) Stadium something of a fortress at the start of the 2006-7 campaign and then United manager Sir Alex Ferguson knew it was going to take a scintillating performance to secure the win.
The Red Devils, who turned up as the league leaders, kept their position at the top thanks to another masterful show from Rooney, including a fine solo effort to complete yet another hat-trick.
Both teams had enjoyed their best-ever starts to a Premiership campaign but United’s superior firepower proved the difference as Cristiano Ronaldo also scored to help his side thrash Wanderers.
Club Brugge 0-4 Manchester United (August 2015)
Going through a barren patch can always be difficult for a striker. Rooney was enduring this problem at the start of the 2015-16 campaign but finally got off the mark with style, netting three goals against Club Brugge.
The Liverpool-born striker had gone 878 minutes without a goal until a sumptuous dinked effort saw him open his account for the season.
Supreme composure and deadly accuracy have always been two of Rooney’s strongest traits and he demonstrated them in abundance with his other two strikes.
