Eberechi Eze had the opportunity to make a remarkable mark on Premier League history, almost joining a select group of players known for their extraordinary performance against the same opponent in a single season. However, he narrowly missed matching a feat achieved by a former Arsenal striker.
In the annals of Premier League history, only once has a player managed to score hat-tricks in both home and away matches against the same team within the same season. Eze made headlines when he netted three goals in his first venture into the North London derby, contributing to Arsenal’s commanding 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. He followed this up with another impressive performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, adding two more goals to his tally.
Though he was on the cusp of recording a historic second hat-trick against Spurs—who had notably made an attempt to sign him during the summer—manager Mikel Arteta opted to substitute him for club captain Martin Ødegaard in the latter stages of the match.
Remarkably, the record for the most goals scored against a single opponent in a single season stands at six. This record is held by six different players, including notable names such as Sergio Agüero, Jermain Defoe, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, and Andy Cole. Each of these players managed to score a substantial number of goals in a singular match-up, demonstrating their elite status.
While Eze may have caught the eye, no one in this illustrious group managed to evenly distribute their goals over two games. For example, Agüero recorded five goals in one match against Newcastle United, and Cole scored five during Manchester United’s stunning 9-0 win over Ipswich Town, with one goal each in other fixtures. Defoe scored five in a memorable 9-1 drubbing of Wigan Athletic and one in a less celebrated subsequent match. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s own Henry had a tally of four in his first game against Leeds and another two in the return fixture during Leeds’ relegation-season campaign.
Interestingly, one might assume that Luis Suárez would be a prime candidate for this discussion based on his notorious performances against Norwich City. However, Suárez’s hat-tricks spanned multiple seasons, never quite allowing him to join the exclusive club of single-season hat-trick scorers. He had back-to-back hat-tricks against Norwich in 2012, but they occurred across separate campaigns, ultimately leading to him never reaching that six-goal benchmark within a single season.
Emmanuel Adebayor’s Unique Record
Emmanuel Adebayor etched his name in Premier League lore during the 2007-08 season when he became the only player in history to achieve two hat-tricks against the same team in a single season. This unusual accolade came against Derby County, a team that struggles with its own historical record for all the wrong reasons.
That season remains infamous for the Rams, who hold the record for the fewest points in Premier League history, managing a solitary win and a dismal goal difference of -69. Alongside their struggles, they are the only team to concede two hat-tricks to a single player within one campaign.
Adebayor’s dual displays of brilliance came in a brutal 5-0 defeat early in the season, where he scored three goals. In the rematch at Pride Park, Adebayor featured after halftime as a substitute and went on to score another three goals, helping Arsenal to a commanding 6-2 victory.
Surprisingly, only two other players managed to score a hat-trick against Derby that season: Benjani Mwaruwari of Portsmouth and Frank Lampard of Chelsea, making Adebayor’s achievement all the more unique.
