Rare Trick: Dempsey-led Fulham Rips Newcastle

Rare Trick: Dempsey-led Fulham Rips Newcastle
Jojo Doria

London, United Kingdom

Reigning US Player of the Year Clint Dempsey once again showed his scoring prowess, pulling off a hat-trick to lead Fulham to a 5-2 victory against Newcastle Saturday at Craven Cottage.

Fulham overcame a slow start to beat Newcastle behind Dempsey's second three-goal performance of the season.

The Texan nabbed his second US Player of the Year Friday after a sensational season in club and international play.

Newcastle drew the first blood in the match following Danny Guthrie's superb long range goal to give his team a 1-0 advantage at the break.

However, Fulham head coach Martin Jol's tactical adjustment paid off in the second half as Dempsey, Danny Murphy and Bobby Zamora ignited a four-goal onslaught in 16-minute time.

Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa responded with a goal in the final minutes of the match, but Dempsey capped a remarkable night with his third goal of the game.

Dempsey became the first American player to record a hat-trick in English Premiership, although he already scored his first three-goal game of the season against Charlton Athletic in their FA Cup third-round match last January 7.

The victory improved Fulham's regular-season record to 6-8-8 (26 pts), while Newcastle dropped 10-6-6 (36 pts) but remains among the top clubs in the English Premiership along with powerhouses Arsenal, Chelsea, Tonttenaham, Manchester United and Manchester City.