Brobbey hat-trick in vain as Man City beat Sunderland 5-3
Manchester City went clear at the top of the Premier League by beating Sunderland 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium on 20 September.
Brian Brobbey scored all three of Sunderland's goals. He still finished on the losing side. City took the points after a high-scoring afternoon in Manchester, according to BBC Sport.
A hat-trick means three goals by one player in a single match. This was Brobbey's first Premier League hat-trick, scored at the Etihad. Antoine Semenyo scored twice for City in the same game, as reported by Reuters.
The win kept City's 100% start to the Premier League season intact. Sunderland left with nothing, despite scoring three away from home.
Brobbey was still named in Troy's Premier League team of the week. The selection came despite Sunderland's defeat and recognised his three-goal display, according to BBC Sport.
Losing hat-tricks are extremely rare in England's top flight. Brobbey is only the fifth different player to score one in the Premier League. His effort was the sixth instance since the league's formation in 1992, and the first by a player on the losing side since 2007.
The last player to do it was Roque Santa Cruz. He scored three for Blackburn Rovers in a 5-3 defeat by Wigan Athletic on 15 December 2007. Before that, Dwight Yorke hit three for Aston Villa in a 4-3 loss at Newcastle United on 30 September 1996.
Dion Dublin also did it for Coventry City. He scored three in a 4-3 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on 4 December 1995. Matt Le Tissier did it twice for Southampton, in a 4-3 defeat at Oldham Athletic on 8 May 1993 and a 4-3 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on 19 August 1995.
Brobbey has made a habit of decisive contributions for Sunderland. He scored in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at the Stadium of Light that ended a run of six league games without victory. He came off the bench to score six minutes after Le Fee's corner to complete a 3-2 win over Bournemouth.
He also scored a 90th-minute winner as Sunderland came from behind to beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St James' Park on 22 March 2026. That record gives context to his latest display.
What makes this stand out is the odd arithmetic of the day. Three goals would normally win a match. On this occasion, it only gave Sunderland a place in the history books and gave the travelling supporters something to carry home with them.
