Handball in Aguero hat-trick

As hat-tricks go, Sergio Aguero’s 14th for Manchester City was unconventionally perfect.

It involved three different methods of scoring against Arsenal: a header, a right-footed tap-in and, finally, a nudge with the left arm.

‘‘I honestly thought it was my chest,’’ Aguero said after City’s 3-1 Premier League victory yesterday. ‘‘But now I have seen it on the TV it was handball.’’

The win moved City back up to second over Tottenham Hotspur and within two points of Liverpool, who play at West Ham United this morning.

Arsenal dropped to sixth after Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Leicester City in yesterday’s other game, which moved the Red Devils up to fifth.

Having scored after 24 seconds in City’s 2-1 loss at Newcastle United last week, Aguero had to wait a little longer against Arsenal.

But not that much – only 48 seconds – as he put City in front.

Just like at Newcastle, City threw away the lead when Laurent Koscielny equalised.

However, this time the lead was restored as Raheem Sterling set up Aguero before the duo combined again to secure the Argentine a 10th hat-trick in the Premier League alone – now only one behind Alan Shearer’s record.

United have been resurgent under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, recording a seventh win in eight Premier League games.

When Jose Mourinho was fired in December, United trailed fourth-placed Chelsea by 11 points. Now they are only two points behind the Blues and the final Champions League place.