Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has expressed his elation at bagging a hat-trick in tonight's 3-1 defeat of Maribor in the Europa League.

The England forward had his opening goal cancelled out by Robert Beric in the first half before netting twice after the break to steal the victory and move Spurs up to second in Group J.

"It feels amazing. As a forward you are judged on scoring goals. It's the best feeling in the world," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

Defoe's three goals this evening moved him above Spurs legend Teddy Sheringham in the club's all-time leading scorers list, a feat he describes as "special".

"For me that's special. He's a forward I used to watch as a kid. He was a fantastic player, a great goalscorer, for club and country. So I'm really pleased with that," he added.

Spurs are currently two points behind group leaders Lazio with six points from four games played.