By OkayGoal
Brian Brobbey produced a performance to remember at Manchester City on Sunday, even though Sunderland left the Etihad empty-handed after an extraordinary 5-3 defeat.
The Dutch striker’s hat-trick made him only the fourth player in Premier League history to score three times against a team that began the day top of the table, according to Opta.
Brobbey follows an exclusive group consisting of Robbie Fowler, Dirk Kuyt and Romelu Lukaku.
4 – Brian Brobbey is the fourth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick against the side starting the day top of the table, after Robbie Fowler v Aston Villa in November 1998, Dirk Kuyt v Man Utd in March 2011, and Romelu Lukaku v Man Utd in May 2013.
Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/vygVYazIQD
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 20, 2026
Fowler was the first to achieve the feat when he scored a hat-trick for Liverpool against Aston Villa in November 1998. Kuyt then produced three goals for Liverpool against Manchester United in March 2011, before Lukaku matched the achievement for West Brom against United in May 2013.
Brobbey’s treble came in a match that Sunderland repeatedly refused to let Manchester City run away with. The 24-year-old scored three times as the visitors twice fought back from behind, with his third goal bringing Sunderland within one of City at 4-3.
However, Erling Haaland eventually settled the contest with a late goal, preserving City’s perfect start to the Premier League season.
Brobbey makes Sunderland history
The hat-trick also ended Brobbey’s wait for his first goal of the campaign in emphatic fashion.
He became the first Sunderland player to score a Premier League hat-trick since Jermain Defoe against Swansea City in January 2016 and only the fifth player to score a top-flight treble for the club.
There was another unusual distinction attached to Brobbey’s performance: he became only the sixth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in a match his team ultimately lost. The previous instance came when Blackburn Rovers’ Roque Santa Cruz scored three against Wigan Athletic in December 2007.
Brobbey admitted afterwards that the result made his achievement difficult to enjoy.
“It’s hard being on the losing side when you’re scoring three goals,” he told Sky Sports.
Despite the defeat, the striker heads into the international break having finally opened his league account in spectacular fashion — and with his name now alongside some of the Premier League’s most memorable hat-trick feats.
Read more – Carrick confident Man Utd can turn form around after Fulham draw
See also – Haaland completes Premier League scoring set with Sunderland goal