ENGLAND stars Eddie Nketiah and Jude Bellingham were the heroes across the Premier League and LaLiga today, both scoring multiple goals in key victories.
Nketiah, who was starting for Arsenal against Sheffield United in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus, seized his opportunity brilliantly by netting a hat-trick as the Gunners won 5-0.
The England striker wowed the Emirates Stadium crowd with strikes in the 28th, 50th and 58th minutes, while Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu added the other goals late on as Arsenal rose to second in the table, two points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
The 24-year-old Nketiah has now more than doubled his tally for this season, having scored only two goals in 12 appearances across all competitions before today’s treble.
In Spain, Bellingham played a starring role in his first El Clasico, one of the biggest matches in club football all over the world, by bagging a brace in Real Madrid’s come-from-behind 2-1 win at Barcelona.
The midfielder, 20, scored with a scorching long-range effort in the 68th minute to draw Real Madrid level after Ilkay Gundogan had given the hosts a sixth minute lead, then settled the match with a goal from close range two minutes into stoppage time.
Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for €103 million in August, has now scored 13 goals in his first 13 appearances, the best start at the club by any player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
With the result, Real Madrid rose to the top of the LaLiga standings, four points ahead of Barcelona in third spot.
In the other afternoon kick-off in the Premier League today, Bournemouth fought back to beat Burnley to secure their first victory of the campaign, with Denmark midfielder Philip Billing, who has Nigerian heritage, scoring the winner.
