From Eric Cantona in August 1992 to Omar Marmoush in February 2025, the Premier League has seen no fewer than 398 hat-tricks over its 33 seasons to date.
But ‘no fewer’ is the key term, because… shouldn’t that actually be 399?
It should if you ask Egil Ostenstad, whose name is curiously absent from the list despite his walking off with the pitch at The Dell with the match ball following their famous 6-3 win over Manchester United in October 1996.
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‘I still have the match ball and I got my goal bonus as well’ – Egil Ostenstad not left totally empty-handed after hat-trick that never officially was
Graeme Souness’ Saints were not at all fancied to get anything against Manchester United that day, and for good reason.
Southampton had endured a difficult start to the season, taking just two points from their first seven league games. Reigning double winners United had meanwhile gone unbeaten in their first nine matches of the Premier League campaign.
But there were some warning signs that an upset might be coming. Southampton had got their season rolling with a 4-0 trouncing of Middlesbrough and a 3-0 win over Sunderland, while United had just suffered a 5-0 mauling away to Newcastle.
Eyal Berkovic gave Southampton the ideal start by scoring after six minutes, and United were reduced to ten men midway through the first half as Roy Keane was dismissed.
Berkovic turning creator for Matt Le Tissier to put a legendary lob over Peter Schmeichel and make it 2-0, before David Beckham pulled one back for Manchester United soon before the break.
But before the half-time whistle blew, Ostenstad had extended the lead to 3-1 off another Berkovic ball.
David May’s goal for United ten minutes after the interval seemed to have made it a game again, but the game remained poised at 3-2 until the 83rd minute.
At that point, Southampton went wild. Berkovic got his second, smashing a stunning volley into the top corner, then Ostenstad matched that brace after racing through one-on-one with Schmeichel – Berkovic with the assist once more.
Paul Scholes bundled one in to make it 5-3, but virtually straight from the restart Ostenstad was put through on Schmeichel again.
The Norwegian picks up the story from here, telling FourFourTwo: “For my third goal, I went around Peter Schmeichel and passed the ball into the empty net.
“Phil Neville was sliding in to stop the goal and he touched the ball just before it went in. For some strange reason, they decided it was an own goal, so I think I’m only credited with two.
But I still have the match ball, so, for me, it’ll be three goals no matter what. I got my goal bonus as well.
“Maybe Alex Ferguson had a word with the committee because he didn’t like someone scoring a hat-trick against his team!”
Honestly… we’re not sure it was actually going in. But we’ll give it you, Egil, even if the Premier League doesn’t.
