Former Rangers striker Ryan Hardie scored a brilliant hat-trick for Plymouth Argyle against Crewe Alexandra, just days after missing a penalty in an FA Cup defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Argyle pushed Chelsea all the way in a fourth round clash on Saturday, despite their League One status, but there was despair for Hardie when his extra-time penalty was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga with the score at 2-1 to the hosts.
The former Ger was consoled by his manager Steven Schumacher after the game, though, and he bounced back in style on Tuesday night.
At the interval at the Mornflake Stadium, Crewe led 1-0 courtesy of a goal from former Motherwell striker Chris Long.
But the visitors turned things around dramatically in the second half.
Ex-Rangers striker Hardie bags hat-trick for Plymouth
Hardie started the comeback in the 48th minute with a tap-in following a defensive mix-up.
Niall Ennis put Plymouth in front in the 55th minute and Hardie bagged his second just a minute later, finding the bottom left corner from the edge of the box with a precise right-footed finish.
The 24-year-old completed his hat-trick with five minutes of normal time remaining to wrap up a 4-1 win, showing good strength and pace to hold off a defender before deftly flicking the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.
It was a very impressive individual performance from Hardie, who aside from the high-profile penalty miss, is having a strong season.
He now has 12 League One goals from 24 appearances and 15 across all competitions.
It was the right decision when Rangers allowed Hardie to leave for Blackpool in 2019, but plenty of Bears will be pleased to see him kicking on elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Rangers are reportedly monitoring a player who is currently a regular starter for Schalke.
