On This Day in 2019, the American Scored a Perfect Hat-Trick as Chelsea Downed Burnley on the Road
The autumn of 2019 found Christian Pulisic in an unfamiliar position—waiting. After four years as a regular starter at Borussia Dortmund, the American had become accustomed to proving his worth on the pitch. Now, at Chelsea, he found himself proving it from the bench.
The statistics told a stark story. Since his £58 million summer arrival from Dortmund, Pulisic had managed just five Premier League appearances through mid-October, starting only three matches across all competitions. While his contemporaries—Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, and a returning Callum Hudson-Odoi—flourished under Frank Lampard's guidance, the Pennsylvania native watched, waited, and worked. The criticism had been impossible to ignore. "You can't completely ignore it," Pulisic acknowledged. "I don't live under a rock. I hear things, I see things, but I do my best to block it out."
Yet Lampard urged patience, contextualizing what others saw as underperformance. The 21-year-old had been granted merely a week's respite before plunging into English football's unforgiving rhythm. Acclimatization took time, even for American stars bearing record price tags. "Anyone getting too excited should calm down," the Chelsea manager counseled, drawing parallels between Pulisic and his other young charges finding their feet.
The turning point arrived not at Stamford Bridge, but across the Atlantic. Representing the United States during October's international break, Pulisic captained his country against Cuba in Washington, where teammate Weston McKennie's lightning-fast hat trick illuminated the Americans' dominant performance. Though Pulisic contributed only a late penalty in the 7-0 rout, his confidence had begun rebuilding. Days later came heartbreak—a tearful substitution during a defeat to Canada—but the winger insisted his form remained sharp. "I feel the best I ever have," he declared before returning to London. "I'm not going to let any of that affect me."
The evidence emerged immediately. In the last match before the international break, against Southampton, another substitute appearance yielded an assist, setting up Michy Batshuayi's late goal in a comfortable victory. Coming off the bench again against Newcastle on October 19, Pulisic orchestrated the buildup to Marcos Alonso's winner, his incisive movement and vision creating the space Chelsea needed to extend their winning streak. Then came the midweek Champions League clash with Ajax, where Pulisic's introduction transformed Chelsea's attack. With 86 minutes elapsed and frustration mounting, the American collected possession on the left flank, drove purposefully toward the penalty area, and delivered a precision cross that Batshuayi converted to stun the Dutch giants.
Three consecutive substitute appearances. Three assists. Suddenly, the narrative surrounding Pulisic had shifted from disappointment to anticipation. When Lampard named his starting XI for the trip to Turf Moor on October 26—Pulisic's first Premier League start since August—it felt less like an opportunity than an inevitability.
Burnley away represented one of English football's most demanding examinations. Sean Dyche's pragmatic warriors had tormented bigger reputations on this Lancashire ground, and Chelsea arrived knowing their unbeaten run faced genuine jeopardy. The hosts created the better early chances, with Ashley Barnes squandering opportunities that might have altered the afternoon's trajectory. But in the 21st minute, the match tilted irrevocably toward the visitors—and toward the young American wearing number 22.
Matt Lowton's careless touch in midfield proved catastrophic. Pulisic pounced immediately, dispossessing the defender and exploding forward with that distinctive burst of acceleration that had thrilled Dortmund supporters for four years. As Burnley's defense scrambled to recover, the American encountered James Tarkowski, an experienced center-back ill-prepared for Pulisic's directness. A deft touch eliminated the challenge. Now inside the penalty area with only the angle and Ben Mee's positioning to navigate, Pulisic struck with clinical precision, his left-footed shot threading between the goalkeeper Nick Pope and the near post. The goal encapsulated everything that had made Chelsea invest so heavily—pace, technique, composure under pressure, and an instinct for goal that belied his wide starting position.
14 minutes later, Pulisic struck again. This time, Willian initiated the sequence, winning possession from Tarkowski deep in Chelsea territory. The Brazilian immediately sought Pulisic, who received the ball near the halfway line and transformed from hunter to hunted. Tarkowski, burned once already, gave chase but couldn't contain the American's momentum. Pulisic's right-footed effort lacked the purity of his opener—a deflection off Mee altered its trajectory—but the outcome proved identical: Chelsea 2, Burnley 0, and Pulisic with a brace in his first league start since summer.
The first half had belonged entirely to the American, but the second would cement his legend. In the 56th minute, Mason Mount delivered a cross from the right flank. Pulisic, drifting into the penalty area with perfect timing, met the ball with a glancing header that arrowed past Pope. A perfect hat trick—left foot, right foot, head. Only the second American to achieve the feat in Premier League history, following Clint Dempsey seven years earlier. The scoring wasn't finished; Willian added a fourth moments later, firing home from Abraham's pass to seemingly secure the points.
Burnley mounted a spirited late revival through Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil, their goals arriving in the 86th and 89th minutes to unsettle Chelsea's defense and remind everyone that the Blues' transformation remained incomplete. But by then, Pulisic had departed to a standing ovation from the traveling supporters, whose chants of "USA, USA" echoed around Turf Moor—a rare tribute in English football's tribal landscape.
As he left the pitch, teammates reminded him of English football's tradition: score a hat trick, claim the match ball. "I didn't realize that was the tradition," Pulisic admitted afterward, his surprise genuine. "My teammates helped me out." They collected the ball, secured signatures, and presented it to their newest hero—a tangible reminder of the afternoon he finally announced his arrival.
For Lampard, vindication arrived alongside satisfaction. His careful management of Pulisic's introduction to English football had weathered criticism, but the manager had remained steadfast in his belief. "I am absolutely delighted for him," Lampard declared. "It was a fantastic match-winning appearance. He showed the full package. There has been a lot of talk around Christian for the big price tag. He is quite rightly a star in his own country. I know the back story and the pressure of the move."
The performance represented Chelsea's seventh consecutive victory across all competitions, lifting them level on points with Leicester City in the Premier League's upper reaches. More significantly, it marked the emergence of Pulisic as a genuine factor in Lampard's plans—no longer the expensive prospect waiting for his moment, but a proven match-winner capable of decisive contributions when opportunity arrived.
The path from Dortmund to Chelsea had proven more circuitous than anticipated. Pulisic had envisioned immediate impact, not patient development from the sidelines. Yet in retrospect, the delay seemed almost purposeful. Those substitute appearances against Southampton, Newcastle and Ajax had rebuilt confidence, each assist a building block toward something greater. The tearful exit in Canada, the frustrating omissions from matchday squads, the whispered doubts about whether English football suited his game—all had been necessary preparation for this moment.
As Pulisic clutched his signed match ball in Turf Moor's away dressing room, surrounded by teammates celebrating Chelsea's latest victory, the weight of expectation that had pressed upon him since summer finally lifted. The £58 million price tag hadn't changed, nor had the responsibility of filling the void left by Eden Hazard's departure to Madrid. But the narrative had shifted fundamentally. No longer was he the American struggling to adapt. He was simply Christian Pulisic, hat-trick hero, integral member of Lampard's exciting young team, and a player who had just reminded everyone why Chelsea had been willing to make him the most expensive American footballer in history.
"It's a fun team to play with now," Pulisic reflected, his words carrying a lightness absent from earlier assessments of his Chelsea experience. The breakthrough had arrived. Now came the harder work: sustaining it.