City’s No.7 stole the show with another treble against Atalanta as he again demonstrated how clinical he has become in front of goal.
It was the latest in a long list of impressive performances from Sterling, who is our leading scorer with 12 goals in 13 games in all competitions.
His strikes against Atalanta came in a remarkably short time frame, but how do his 11 deadly minutes compare to other quick-fire hat-tricks?
City
Sterling was three minutes shy of Aguero’s eight-minute treble, the fastest of any City player in the Premier League era.
The Argentine netted in quick succession in the 6-1 win over Newcastle United in October 2015, a vintage day for our No.10, who hit five against the Magpies.
Sterling’s Atalanta showing, however, is the fastest hat-trick since Pep Guardiola came to the Club.
He also occupies second place on that list for a 13 minute salvo against Watford in March 2019, while Gabriel Jesus completes the top three, scoring three in 27 minutes in the 9-1 win over Burton Albion in last season’s Carabao Cup.
Champions League
Sterling became the 83rd player in Champions League history to score three times in one match and did so quicker than anyone else has managed so far in the competition this season.
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe grabbed three on the same evening, but did so 11 minutes slower against Club Brugge.
In the Champions League’s all-time list, the England winger is tied for third alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who also took 11 minutes for Real Madrid against Malmo in 2015.
Ahead of them are former Blackburn Rovers striker, Mike Newell, who needed only nine minutes against Rosenborg in the 1995 instalment of the competition and the record-holder, Bafetimbe Gomis.
The Frenchman took just eight minutes to hit three for Lyon when playing Dinamo Zagreb in 2011.
2019
Sterling has recorded four of his five career hat-tricks in the current calendar year and still has a month and half to add to his tally.
His first came against Watford in March of last season and in the same month he repeated the trick for England, who beat Czech Republic 5-0.
The 24-year-old then made a sensational start to the new campaign, with a hat-trick on the opening day against West Ham United, before his most recent feat against Atalanta.
