Mane needs just 176 seconds to make history

19 May 2015 08:17

Senegal and Southampton sharpshooter Sadio Mane needed just 176 seconds at the weekend to score the fastest English Premier League hat-trick.

His amazing achievement in a 6-1 thrashing of Aston Villa bettered by 97 seconds the 21-year record of Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler.

Mane wreaked havoc against visiting Villa between the 13th and 16th minutes of the first half as the ‘Saints’ remained in contention for a Europa League place.

ENGLAND

SADIO MANE (Southampton)
The Senegal winger had the match, or perhaps the three minutes of his life, as he scored the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history as the Saints thrashed Aston Villa 6-1. He took just two minutes and 56 seconds to surpass the previous record of four minutes and 33 seconds set by Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler against Arsenal in 1994.

Mane broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when he latched onto Graziano Pelle’s flick and held off two weak challenges before slotting into the net after a lucky rebound off goalkeeper Shay Given. Just 84 seconds later he scored again after Ron Vlaar’s sloppy backpass fell to Shane Long, who helped the ball on for Mane to tap in. His hat-trick goal was his best as he curled home from just inside the penalty area in the 16th minute.

YAYA TOURE (Manchester City)
 Amid all the speculation, much of it stoked by his agent, regarding his City future, the Ivory Coast midfielder led from the front with a captain’s performance by scoring twice in a 4-2 win at Swansea that guaranteed City’s place in the group stage of next season’s Champions League. He made it 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium when his deflected shot beat Lukasz Fabianksi at the Swansea goalkeeper’s near post in the 21st minute and then gave the visitors a 3-2 lead when, with the ‘keeper out of position, another near-post shot edged last season’s champions back in front in the 74th minute.

WILFRIED BONY (Manchester City)
He may have been on the field only for the final five minutes but that was still time enough for the Ivorian forward, who joined City from Swansea for £28 million ($43 million, 37 million euros) in January to remind his former club of what were they were missing with only his second goal for his current side as a well-struck shot went in off the post.
   

MAME BIRAM DIOUF (Stoke City)
Fresh from his goal in a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, the Senegal forward had a frustrating match in a goalless draw away to already-relegated Burnley, although the result took the Potters to 51 points — their highest total in the Premier League. And things might have been even better had Diouf made the most of a couple of chances at Turf Moor. First, he inexplicably headed wide from Jon Walters’s cross to the far post and then, in the second half, after Charlie Adam’s cross came to the near post, good defending from Jason Shackell prevented Diouf scoring with a header.

SPAIN
   

YOUSSEF EL-ARABI (Granada)
Moroccan forward El-Arabi continued his scoring streak with a fourth goal in three games to boost Granada’s survival hopes with a 3-0 win at Real Sociedad.
   

JONATHAN ZONGO, THIEVY BIFOUMA (Almeria)
Burkina Faso’s Zongo teed up Congo Brazzaville star Bifouma to put Almeria ahead away to Sevilla. Zongo also saw a spectacular overhead kick come back off the post before Sevilla fought back to win 2-1 and leave Almeria rooted in the relegation zone with just one league match left.
   

CARLOS KAMENI (Malaga)
Cameroonian goalkeeper Kameni made a huge error to gift Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno his second goal of the game with a poor clearance as Malaga lost 2-1 at El Madrigal.

FRANCE
   

MAX-ALAIN GRADEL (Saint-Etienne)
Ivory Coast star Gradel’s tremendous second half to the season continued as he scored both Saint-Etienne’s goals in a 2-1 win at Evian that secured European qualification and kept them in contention for a place in the Champions League going into the final round. Gradel has now scored 15 league goals this season, 11 of them since winning the Africa Cup of Nations in February.

ANDRE AYEW (Marseille)
The Ghana star scored one fine goal — his 10th of the season — and set up another as Marseille romped to a 4-0 win at Lille that secured them European qualification and kept their Champions League hopes alive. Ayew later confirmed he would be leaving OM in the summer when his contract expires. He has been heavily linked with moves to Roma or Germany.

SERGE AURIER (Paris Saint-Germain)
Aurier was in the PSG side that clinched the Ligue 1 title with a 2-1 win at Montpellier and helped set up the decisive goal on the night for Ezequiel Lavezzi, crossing low from the right for the Argentine to sweep home. It is proving to be a great season for Aurier — African champion with the Ivory Coast and already a winner of three domestic trophies with Paris with a French Cup final still to come.

GERMANY
   

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Borussia Dortmund)
The Gabon winger and Dortmund’s top-scorer scored his 15th league goal of the season when he converted a penalty in Borussia’s 2-1 defeat at Wolfsburg in a dress rehearsal for the German Cup final on May 30. Aubameyang drilled home an 11th-minute penalty for his 22nd goal in all competitions after Kevin Kampl was fouled by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.

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