Bryan Brobbey heads to the Netherlands national team in high spirits after scoring a hat-trick in Sunderland's thrilling 5-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The English media have lavished him with praise.
BBC Sport awarded the 24-year-old forward a perfect 10 rating for his impeccable performance.
Hat-trick hero. Three goals from close range, yet the Dutchman will be sorely disappointed that his team could not earn any points.
The Guardian highlighted the powerful forward alongside Enzo Le Fee as the standout performers in Sunderland's attack. Journalists provided a detailed analysis of Brobbey's opening goal.
Delivering a precise pass to Brobbey, Le Fee showcased why he was one of the best on the pitch. The striker's first touch was clever, before he outsmarted Gianluigi Donnarumma with the outside of his right foot.
Sky Sports drew attention to Brobbey's remarkable statistics, noting that he became only the sixth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in a losing match.
He personally recorded a higher expected goals tally than every Premier League team this weekend, with the exception of his own.
The Athletic also chimed in, commenting on how Brobbey toyed with Manchester City defender Ruben Dias.
Brobbey's hat-trick only tells half the story of his impact on the match. Again and again, he found himself in the right place to finish off chances created by teammates, but his contribution went far beyond that. Throughout the game, he posed serious problems for City.
He tried to physically challenge Brobbey, as he often does. But on two occasions, he was simply brushed aside. This set the tone for the rest of the match.
The Telegraph noted that stopping the forward on the day was virtually impossible.
Brobbey completed his hat-trick just shy of the hour mark, on a day when he was nearly unstoppable for long stretches. Afterwards, City were fortunate at times.
