Alexis
Sanchez returned to form for Arsenal on Saturday with a hat-trick against
Leicester, which propelled his side to an entertaining 5-2 victory in the
Premier League.
But the Chile
international's treble also completed a remarkable personal feat, as he became
the first man to score three goals in a game in Serie A, La Liga and the top
flight in England.
Sanchez's
first hat-trick came in Italy, when he was playing for Udinese, in February
2011.
He netted
three times in the first half of his side's encounter against Palermo as they
thrashed the Sicilian team 7-0. Mainly thanks to Sanchez, they were leading 4-0
at the break.
His
scintillating form in Italy caught the eye of Barcelona, who swooped to sign
him five months later for £23million.
His treble on
Spanish shores came in January 2014, his final season at the Nou Camp, as he
led his side to a 4-0 victory against Elche.
He sealed his
hat-trick with a thunderous free kick from 30 yards.
But later
that year, he departed the Catalan giants as they moved to sign Luis Suarez
from Liverpool.
Sanchez
headed for the Premier League with Arsenal and was an instant hit with
supporters at the Emirates.
He has had a
slow start to his second season in England, perhaps a little jaded after
leading Chile to Copa America victory in the summer, but returned to form at
the King Power stadium on Saturday.
His treble
guided Arsenal to a hard fought victory against Leicester, who were beaten in
the league for the first time this season.
'Alexis is a
top-quality player and even when he is not scoring goals he works so hard for
us,' Sanchez's team-mate Theo Walcott said. 'I am sure he going to flourish now
with many, many more important goals.'
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