About an hour into Chelsea’s 4-2 victory at Burnley on Saturday, the visiting supporters at Turf Moor broke into “USA” chants.
Christian Pulisic, the most expensive American soccer acquisition, earned every last syllable.
In a brilliant breakout performance, the 21-year-old attacker from Hershey, Pa., scored three goals in the space of 35 minutes and became the second American to record a hat trick in the Premier League.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “Honestly, I can’t believe it.”
The goals came in minutes 21 (left foot), 45 (right foot) and 56 (sensational header) as Pulisic opened his Chelsea scoring account after two months of inconsistent playing time and questions about whether the Blues had overspent when they acquired him from Germany’s Borussia Dortmund this summer for $73 million.