Happy Boxing Day, Gareth Bale! Enjoy your hat trick

He’s 23 years old, the most unstoppable force in the Premier League, and after today’s performance at Villa Park, Gareth Bale is only one goal off his career high. Last year, the Wales international buried 10 for Spurs. Sixteen games into his Premer League season, Bale’s already scored nine times, putting him on pace for a 20-goal season.

The output also put Tottenham in fourth place in the Premier League, their 4-0 win over Aston Villa giving Spurs 33 points through 19 rounds.

Bale is the most dynamic player in the Premier League, the type of title you give somebody when you’re too finely parsing the league’s best players. His combination of speed, size and strength is unmatched among the league’s attacking talents, and as one of the Premiership’s few wide stars, he always has the space to show it.

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But given his ability to tear into opponents is now being matched by some consistent, elite goal scoring, how long do we have to wait until we talk about Gareth Bale as the best player in England?

At least one more week, because for now, it’s time to enjoy the show Bale put on at Villa Park.

In a culture where Boxing Day soccer carries a lot sentiment, Bale gave a performance few Spurs fans will ever forget. That it was his first Premier League hat trick means he’s unlikely to forget it, either.

Bale’s first provided the insurance for Jermain Defoe’s opener, his touch putting him behind the Villa defense, catching Brad Guzan out of position (highlight, below). The second saw an Aaron Lennon square ball find Bale with far too much room in the middle of the area, his lower-right corner finish leaving Guzan flat-footed. In the 84th minute, Bale completed his hat trick, finishing a Gylfi Sigurdsson pass into the top of goal before being subbed off.

With the win, Spurs move into fourth place, tiebreakers allowing them to sit on top of Everton and West Bromwich Albion.

Villa, though they’ve been outscored 0-12 over the last four days, stay in 16th place but now have the worst goal difference in the Premier League: -21.