Justin Kluivert Sets Premier League Record with Penalty Hat-Trick

Justin Kluivert, seen here with the match ball after his hat-trick of penalties, has consistently faced high expectations in his football career as the son of Netherlands legend and Champions League winner Patrick Kluivert. However, the 25-year-old has achieved a feat his father, who spent a season at Newcastle, never did: a Premier League record for scoring three penalties in a single match. His trio of successful spot-kicks, which contributed to Bournemouth’s 4-2 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, demonstrated exceptional penalty-taking skill. This was not only the first penalty hat-trick in the Premier League era but also the first in the English top flight since Ken Barnes netted three for Manchester City in a 6-2 win against Everton at Maine Road on December 7, 1957. Upon learning that no other player in the Premier League era had accomplished this, Justin responded: “That sounds beautiful. To go in the history books – that’s amazing. I’m super happy with it.” Justin Kluivert has now scored five goals for Bournemouth this season. **Penalty number one (3 mins)** Kluivert’s initial opportunity to score from 12 yards arose just three minutes into the game. The decision was contentious, as Wolves manager Gary O’Neil believed Evanilson had handled the ball before being fouled by Toti Gomes inside the penalty area. The incident underwent a review by the video assistant referee (VAR), but the original decision was upheld. Kluivert maintained eye contact with home goalkeeper Jose Sa before sending him the wrong way, placing the ball to Sa’s left and into the bottom corner. “The first one I stop and look at the keeper, what is he doing?” the forward stated. **Penalty number two (18 mins)** Kluivert’s second penalty occurred a mere 15 minutes later, with the score then standing at 2-1 in Bournemouth’s favour. VAR was again instrumental, advising on-pitch official Peter Bankes to review footage on a pitchside monitor, which revealed Sa had kicked Evanilson’s ankle following a heavy first touch from the goalkeeper. This time, Kluivert “switched it up,” in his own words, by striking the ball in the opposite direction, to Sa’s right. **Penalty number three (74 mins)** With two penalties already converted, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola admitted uncertainty about whether Kluivert should take the Cherries’ third penalty of the match, which was 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 previously witnessed Kluivert score against his Rayo Vallecano side for Valencia 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 successfully converted his third spot-kick past Sa, securing three points for Bournemouth and moving them up to 11th in the table. “He doesn’t know what I’m going to do, I waited and he chose for me,” Kluivert explained. “Easy as that.” Justin Kluivert directed Jose Sa the wrong way for both the first and third penalties, completing his hat-trick in this manner. While Kluivert scored three times, Evanilson also made Premier League history by becoming the first player to earn three penalties in the same match. Although not on the scoresheet, Iraola was quick to commend the Brazilian’s efforts, adding: “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.” Iraola continued: “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.” Patrick Kluivert scored a penalty for the Netherlands in the Euro 2000 semi-final shootout against Italy, though the Italians ultimately advanced to the final. Football was always destined to be a significant part of Justin Kluivert’s life. His grandfather, Kenneth, played international football for Suriname, and his father, Patrick, became a Dutch hero, scoring 40 goals in 79 international appearances 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, setting a record as the youngest player to score in the competition’s final at 18 years and 327 days old. 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 departing the Spanish side for Newcastle in 2004, where he scored 13 times in 37 appearances. He converted 11 career penalties, including two in a single game for Barcelona, and missed two spot-kicks for the Netherlands, one being in the Euro 2000 semi-final against Italy, although he did convert in the subsequent shootout, which Italy won. Justin’s career is progressing well, following in his father’s footsteps. He has already played internationally for the Netherlands and has had spells at Ajax and Roma, with loan periods 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 serve as an inspiration for another generation of the Kluivert family. When asked where he would place the hat-trick match ball, Justin responded: “I will put it in my daughter’s room, waiting for her to come in February. And she can see how I did it.”