Chopra was the last man to score a Football League hat-trick at Ninian Park, having registered a spectacular treble against Leicester City in January 2007. On Tuesday evening, he became the first player to score a Football League hat-trick at the new Cardiff City Stadium.
He also became only the eighth player in the club's history to score four or more goals in a Football League game. The other seven players who achieved that feat were: Len Davies (four against West Brom in 1923), Hughie Ferguson (five against Burnley in 1926), Walter Robbins (five against Thames in 1932), Jim Henderson (five against Northampton in 1933), Reg Keating (four against Exeter in 1935), Alan Warboys (four against Carlisle in 1971) and Robert Earnshaw (four against Gillingham in 2003).
Chopra's goals against Derby meant he became the first Cardiff City player to score two Football League hat-tricks in the same season since Robert Earnshaw did likewise in 2002/03. Back then, Earnie scored hat-tricks against QPR in a 4-0 victory at Loftus Road and Tranmere in a 3-3 draw at Prenton Park.
The only other players in Bluebirds history to score two Football League hat-tricks in the same seasons were Welsh international winger Walter Robbins, who netted three against Reading and five against Thames during the 1931/32 season, Irish striker Jim McCambridge, who netted trebles against QPR and Orient during the same campaign, and Scottish centre-forward Jim Henderson, who scored three against Brentford and five against Northampton during the 1932/33 season.
