Top nine youngest hattrick scorers in Premier League history

Evan Ferguson joins A-listers with his latest hat-trick against Newcastle

For the longest time in football, age has been a relatively important factor in determining the quality and level of productivity of players. There are, however, a number of players who have defied these norms and started delivering quality performances from a very tender age.

There have been a series of teenage prodigies that have played in the Premier League, and a number of them have been strikers. The term 'hat-trick' is used to define when a player achieves the feat of scoring three goals in a game, and is one of the most impressive individual feats a player can accomplish during a match. Here are the youngest players in the Premier League history to score a hat-trick:

9. Luke Moore – 19 years 356 days

The only other player to score a Premier League hat-trick as a teenager is a less familiar name. Luke Moore was a highly rated Villa youngster to the point that when he was just 15 Paul Merson, who was at the club at the time, claimed he was already capable of playing for the first team. By the start of the following season, he had cemented himself as a regular part of Villa’s first team. Moore struck in the 18th, 62nd and 64th minute as Villa thrashed Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

8. Nicolas Anelka – 19 years and 343 days

Anelka scored three hat tricks in English football, each for a different club. He ended up being Arsenal’s top scorer in the 1998-99 season with 17 goals, but it proved to be a season of disappointment for the club. Anelka’s hat trick came in the middle of that run on an unseasonably warm February day against Leicester City.

The first showed his pace, bursting onto a Dennis Bergkamp through ball to score past Kasey Keller. Four minutes later the same combination combined for Anelka’s second. Then Marc Overmars squared for Anelka to complete a first-half hat-trick.

7. Robbie Fowler – 19 years and 141 days

Putting the ball beyond England goalkeeper David Seaman three times on the way to a 3-0 victory over the Gunners, Fowler etched his name into Merseyside folklore and, at 19, made a big step towards godlike status. This made Fowler's heroics all the more impressive, as in four minutes and 33 seconds the striker had decimated the Gunners and guaranteed Liverpool a priceless victory.

6. Evan Ferguson – 18 years and 318 days

Standing at 188 cm tall, Ferguson’s physical profile is impressive for such a young player. He is often able to hold the ball up and win duels with opponents as he possesses great physical strength. The centre forward also consistently shows that his physicality is linked to his footballing intelligence, Ferguson doesn’t simply go shoving opponents around, he is smart with it. He scored his first hattrick against Newcastle United in a 3-1 win for Brighton.

5. Micheal Owen – 18 years and 314 days

The match was played on 24th October 1998 at Anfield. He scored four times against Forest in the 10th, 38th, 71st and 77th minutes as Liverpool trashed them by a 5-1 scoreline. This was one of the best seasons for a young Michael Owen as he progressed to become one of the best English strikers of all time.

4. Chris Bart-Williams – 18 years and 300 days

Chris Bart-Williams attracted interest from bigger clubs after making his debut for Leyton Orient aged just 16, with the midfielder soon signing for Sheffield Wednesday in a deal worth £275,000. He helped the Owls to promotion into the top flight and made his mark during the Premier League’s inaugural season in 1992/93, scoring a hat-trick against Southampton in April.

Bart-Williams, who sadly passed away in 2023 aged just 49, later reverted back to a more defensive role as his career progressed, one which saw him represent Nottingham Forest, Charlton and Ipswich Town.

3. Micheal Owen – 18 years and 259 days

A prolific goalscorer, Owen was a powerful and accurate finisher, who was also effective with his head, despite his lack of height. He was also capable of linking up with and creating chances for teammates due to his short passing ability and vision. He scored a hattrick against Newcastle in August of 1998. He helped Liverpool win 4-1, and it’s one of his best hat-tricks. 

2. Robbie Fowler – 18 years and 204 days

A prolific goal-scorer, Fowler was a quick and opportunistic striker, with good technical ability. Although naturally left-footed, he possessed an accurate, powerful shot from both inside and outside the area with both feet; he was also effective in the air. 

Despite his reputation as a "goal-poacher", he was also a creative forward, capable of linking up well with other players and laying off the ball to other strikers. The first of Fowler’s nine Premier League hat-tricks came in a 4-2 win against Southampton and displayed the full repertoire of his abilities.

1. Michael Owen – 18 years and 62 days

It was pretty obvious from an early age that Michael Owen was something special. In his prime, Owen was highly regarded for his great pace, opportunism and agility, as well as his technical ability and his eye for goal, which enabled him to be considered one of the greatest English and Premier League strikers of his generation.

He scored his hat trick against Sheffield Wednesday on 28th February 1998 as he was playing for Liverpool. Owen faced many injuries throughout his career, which in later years affected his pace, fitness, mobility and the overall consistency of his performances.