STAN-TASTIC
For his first goal, the former Aston Villa man, making his home debut, linked up superbly with front partner Emile Heskey before smashing in an unstoppable shot past Thomas Sorensen from 20-yards.
His second was a superb looping header from the penalty spot just after the hour.
The third was a simple tap-in after Heskey raced clear, down the right, before fizzing in a cross from which Collymore could not miss.
The Foxes started much the better and Collymore had the first chance of the match, when, after superb work by the busy Heskey, the former Liverpool striker blazed wide from six yards.
The Black Cats appeared to settle into the match mid-way through the first period, with England forward Kevin Phillips going close from 20 yards.
Kevin Kilbane then troubled Tim Flowers in the Leicester goal when he rattled the crossbar with a whipped free-kick, Niall Quinn could not convert the rebound, blazing over from ten-yards.
Leicester, however, shocked the visitors with a second goal just after the half-hour. Neil Lennon won an important tackle in the midfield and wasted no time in setting Heskey away. He left three defenders trailing in his wake before slamming the ball under Sorensen, much to the delight of boss Martin O`Neill who was earlier criticised for pairing Heskey with the troubled Collymore.
The Wearsiders must have received a roasting from Peter Reid at half-time because they came out with more purpose, and were duly rewarded when Phillips netted on 50 minutes.
The former Watford man latched onto what was nothing more than half a chance to slam a glorious right foot shot past the despairing dive of Flowers.
Reid`s renewed optimism lasted barely 10 minutes due to Collymore grabbing his second of the game with an unstoppable header.
Sunderland showed remarkable spirit, something that their manager demands, and they ensured a nail-biting finish when Eire international Quinn scored with aplomb with 15 minutes remaining. He turned inside Frank Sinclair then nutmegged Matt Elliott before calmly curling the ball past Flowers.
Sunderland continued to press in the latter stages, but the Worthington Cup winners were not to be denied, and Collymore tapped-in his third from close range with moments remaining.
Salt was rubbed into Peter Reid`s wounds when Stefan Oakes scored with a deflected free-kick in the dying seconds.
Stan Collymore was in an upbeat mood after the game, saying: "I enjoyed it today, the fans were superb and the lads have been fantastic. I wanted to repay the manager for the faith he has showed in me."
When asked if he has proved a few people wrong, Collymore gave a terse retort. "I couldn`t care less about the media, I have nothing to prove to anybody, but a hat-trick speaks for itself," he said.
Reports from the day`s other Premiership games can be found below.
To view the Aston Villa v Arsenal report, click here.
To view the Leeds v Coventry report, click here.
