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'Easy as that' - how Kluivert made history with hat-trick of penalties

Justin Kluivert
Justin Kluivert with the match ball after his hat-trick of penalties [Getty Images]

Justin Kluivert has always had big shoes to fill as a professional footballer, being the son of Netherlands legend and Champions League winner Patrick.

But the 25-year-old has achieved something his father - who had a season at Newcastle - never did, a Premier League record for scoring a hat-trick of penalties in the same match.

His treble, which helped Bournemouth win 4-2 against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, was a masterclass in how to take a spot-kick.

Not only was it the first hat-trick of penalties in the Premier League era, but also the first in the English top flight since Ken Barnes scored three for Manchester City in a 6-2 victory against Everton at Maine Road on 7 December, 1957.

After being told nobody else in the Premier League era had managed the feat, Justin replied: "That sounds beautiful.

"To go in the history books - that's amazing. I'm super happy with it."

How Kluivert kept his cool on the spot

Justin Kluivert
Justin Kluivert has now scored five times for Bournemouth this season [Reuters]

Penalty number one (3 mins)

Kluivert only had to wait three minutes before he got his first chance to score from 12 yards.

There was controversy about the decision as Wolves boss Gary O'Neil thought Evanilson had handled the ball before he raced into the penalty area, only to be brought down by Toti Gomes.

The incident went to the video assistant referee (VAR), but the decision was allowed to stand.

Kluivert kept staring at home goalkeeper Jose Sa, before sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, with the ball going to Sa's left and into the bottom corner.

"The first one I stop and look at the keeper, what is he doing?" said the frontman.

Penalty number two (18 mins)

Kluivert's next penalty came a frantic 15 minutes later with the score at that point 2-1 to Bournemouth.

VAR again played its part, telling on-pitch official Peter Bankes to watch it on a pitchside monitor to see Sa had kicked Evanilson's ankle after a heavy first touch from the goalkeeper.

This time Kluivert "switched it up" - to use his words - by blasting the ball the opposite way, to Sa's right.

Penalty number three (74 mins)

With two penalties already converted, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola admitted he was not sure Kluivert should take the Cherries' third of the game, again awarded after a foul by Sa.

"For the third one I thought maybe he is not the one to take it, but I didn't want to be the one to tell him," said Iraola, who had seen Kluivert score first hand for Valencia against his Rayo Vallecano side back in April 2023.

"Every time you take another penalty it becomes more difficult. I wasn't completely sure we should allow him to score the third one, but it was difficult to take it off him. I suffered against him in Spain, I remember this.

"The first penalty gives a bit of information to the goalkeeper, Justin has two different approaches in the first two and in the third one he was very good, he was full of confidence."

Kluivert struck his third spot-kick past Sa as Bournemouth took the three points, moving up to 11th in the table.

"He doesn't know what I'm going to do, I waited and he chose for me," said Kluivert. "Easy as that."

Justin Kluivert
Justin Kluivert sent Jose Sa the wrong way for the first and third penalty, this was how he completed his hat-trick [Getty Images]

'Phenomenal' Evanilson also achieves landmark feat

While Kluivert scored three times, Evanilson also gained a bit of Premier League history by becoming the first player to win three penalties in the same match.

Although not on the scoresheet, Iraola was quick to praise the Brazilian's efforts too as he added: "I'm very pleased with the performance and the win. We needed the win and the performance. In the first half we were very dangerous and the press was working well. We deserved this.

"We are trying to put pressure on them, don't let them feel comfortable. Evanilson has made the difference. He has been fighting with the centre-backs and the keeper. He was phenomenal.

"Evanilson didn't score, but he is why we won. He has won five penalties this season and we have scored four.

"It is very difficult to score three penalties in one game. Justin is someone who gives us a lot, also without the ball. He is someone who understands we need his work-rate. He is giving the team a lot."

Following in his father's footsteps

Patrick Kluivert scores for the Netherlands
Patrick Kluivert scored a penalty for the Netherlands in the Euro 2000 semi-final shootout against Italy, although the Italians won through to the final [Getty Images]

Football was always going to be a major factor in Justin Kluivert's life.

His grandfather Kenneth played international football for Suriname and Patrick became a Dutch hero, scoring 40 times in 79 internationals for the Netherlands.

During his club career, Patrick famously came off the bench to net Ajax's 85th-minute winner in the 1995 Champions League final against AC Milan and set a record as the youngest player to score in the competition's final at 18 years and 327 days.

He also won the Dutch title three times - twice with Ajax and once with PSV Eindhoven - and the Uefa Super Cup with Ajax.

Patrick also lifted the La Liga championship with Barcelona, before he left the Spanish side for Newcastle in 2004, where he struck 13 times in 37 appearances.

He scored 11 career penalties, with two in a game for Barcelona once and missed two spot-kicks for the Netherlands, including the Euro 2000 semi-final against Italy - although he did convert in the game's subsequent shootout, only for the Italians to reach the final.

Justin's career is following on nicely from his father's.

He has already played internationally for the Netherlands and was at Ajax and Roma, with loan spells at RB Leipzig, Nice and Valencia, before joining Bournemouth in a £9.6m deal from Roma in June 2023.

He hopes this hat-trick can help inspire another generation of the Kluivert family.

Asked where he will put the hat-trick match ball, Justin replied: "I will put it in my daughter's room, waiting for her to come in February.

"And she can see how I did it."