London - Underlining his growing reputation as The United States top player in Europe, Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat trick in the Premier League in Fulham's 5-2 comeback win over Newcastle on Saturday. The 28-year-old Dempsey scored three goals in a 30-minute span in the second half.

"We never found our rhythm in the first half, but we began to get into their penalty area in the second half," Dempsey said. "Luckily, the ball kept going in. We never took our foot off the gas and we took our chances."

Dempsey put Fulham ahead 2-1 in the 59th minute with his 50th goal for the Cottagers, bundling in from 3 yards after Bobby Zamora's shot rebounded off goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Six minutes later, he slotted in a right-footed goal from 10 yards. Then he split two defenders, heading the ball down to himself, and two touches later scored in the 89th minute on a shot from 12 yards.

Behind 1-0 at halftime, Fulham tied it with a goal by Danny Murphy. Bobby Zamora extended the lead to 4-1.

Dempsey, from Nacogdoches, Texas, scored a career-best 15 goals this season, including nine in the Premier League. On Friday, Dempsey was voted the U.S. Soccer Federation's male athlete for 2011.

Fulham signed Dempsey from the New England Revolution in January 2007.

Dempsey had scored his first hat trick in England on Jan. 7, against Charlton in the third round of the FA Cup.

"Clint Dempsey is our top scorer," Fulham manager Martin Jol said. "He is doing what he does best. Clint scores goals. You can only say he is a fantastic player."

He is tied for seventh in the league in scoring, trailing only Robin van Persie, Demba Ba, Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Edin Dzeko.

Elsewhere, Chelsea squandered a chance to trim the gap on the Premier League pacesetters on Saturday by drawing 0-0 at Norwich.

Needing a win to boost its faint chances of reeling in the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham, fourth-place Chelsea was frustrated by poor finishing at Carrow Road, with misfiring Spain striker Fernando Torres the biggest culprit. American left back Zak Whitbreadhelped keep Torres scoreless for his 16th straight club match, a career high.

Qualifying for the Champions League may be Chelsea's main target now, so news of Liverpool's 3-1 defeat at Bolton and Newcastle's loss at Fulham will have been welcome.

Liverpool was surprisingly overrun by a Bolton team that had been languishing in the bottom three, surrendering an opportunity to move within three points of Chelsea.

League leader Manchester City hosts third-place Tottenham and Manchester United, which is second, visits Arsenal on Sunday in an important day for the title chasers.

Robbie Keane, on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy, scored twice in his starting debut for Aston Villa in a 3-2 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Landon Donovan's chip bounced off Marouane Fellaini and was tucked in by Tim Cahill in the 24th minute for his first goal in 13th months, helping Everton to a 1-1 tie against Blackburn. The visitors tied it in the 72nd when American goalkeeper Tim Howard missed a long ball, and Cahill's attempted clearance hit David Goodwillie flush in the chest and rebounded into the back of Everton's net.