Marouane Fellaini inspired Shandong Luneng's comeback by scoring a hat-trick of headers to seal a sensational 3-2 win over Dalian Pro.
The 32-year-old Belgian midfielder left Manchester United in January 2019 as he completed a surprise move to the Chinese Super League.
And Fellaini sprang into action on Sunday as his side were 1-0 down in the second half after Salomon Rondon opened the scoring in the 57th minute.
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The former Everton star, who tested positive for coronavirus in March, headed home his first of the match in the 79th minute to pull Shandong level.
Only minutes later, Fellaini towered over two Dalian defenders as he put his side into a 2-1 lead.
The ex-Belgium international completed his seven-minute hat-trick when he headed home from a corner kick in the 86th minute.
Marcus Danielson scored Dalian's second of the match deep into injury time, but Shandong held on for a 3-2 win.
Following the match, Fellaini revealed that he felt more comfortable dropping into the midfield.
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"I am not a number nine. If it can help the team, I do it," he said.
"But my position is at midfield. I know how to do in the midfield."
Shandong manager Li Xiaopeng admitted that his decision to move Fellaini back to the midfield was due to him 'running so much in the first half.'
He explained: "Fellaini ran a lot in the first half and became tired. So I moved him back to the midfield, where he could regroup and attack."
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According to Squawka, the former United man became the first Belgian player to score a hat-trick in the Chinese Super League.
Topics: Football News, Football, Marouane Fellaini, Chinese Super League
