Relax people, our goal scoring problems are no more. And the answer has been right under a long ball the whole time. Jonathan Walters has today become just the third Irishman to score a Premier League hat-trick after grabbing all three during Stoke's 3-1 win over QPR.
Walters is joined in the exclusive club by Robbie Keane and Leon Best whose three goals for Newcastle against West Ham a little over four years ago was the last time we were treated to such an occasion.
Keane, for his part has grabbed three hat-tricks in his Premier League career, all of which came in a Spurs jersey.
Walters now the third Irish player to score a hat trick in the the premier league, after Robbie Keane and Leon Best! #COYBIG #SCFC
— Irish Abroad (@irish_abroad) January 31, 2015
We won't even mention the fact that the first two were set up by Stephen Ireland, the first assist being a wonderfully quick-thinking back heel, but nevertheless it does show that Walters has the capacity to be a bit more than the battering ram from out wide that Martin O'Neill has asked of him in recent months. Did we mention it was a perfect hat-trick of right foot, left foot, header?
3 - Jon Walters is the first PL player to score a perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, head) since Nolan & Lukaku on 19/05/13. Dream.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2015
Jonathan Walters nets the Potters' first top-flight hat-trick since 1984 on his 200th appearance for the Club #scfc pic.twitter.com/ymILgsYC79
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) January 31, 2015
Is Jon Walters the irish Bojan?
— SAM (@imsammorris_) January 31, 2015
Yes Sam, yes he is.
