A left foot tap-in opened the scoring, his right foot strike gave the Hammers the lead again after Reading had hit back with two second-half goals. A fine header then capped off a memorable afternoon for the Hammers skipper.
“We were great in the first half,” said Nolan. “We were fantastic and really put them under pressure and got the goals we deserved. We went in and came out relaxed and got punished for that.
“Fair play to Reading because they had a good go at us, but then the quality came through in the end and I’m delighted to say I got the two goals to ensure we got the win we deserved overall.
“That’s the first perfect hat-trick I’ve scored. I have scored hat-tricks before, one against Ipswich and another against Sunderland for Newcastle, but I was delighted with that one. It’s a bit special. That’s ten goals for the season for me so I’m delighted.”