Hertha Berlin striker Salomon Kalou has admitted that he is delighted to be scoring goals again after he hit a hat-trick against Hannover 96 on Friday.

The Ivorian's treble led his side to a 3-1 victory which lifted them to fourth in the Bundesliga table ahead of the weekend fixtures.

After scoring just six times in 29 matches in his debut season in Germany, the former Chelsea forward revealed his relief at his improved scoring form this season.

"I have scored a hat-trick once before," he is quoted by Bundesliga.com as saying. "It is nice to be back scoring again and helping the team.

"It was important after losing at home [to Borussia Monchengladbach] last week. We scored early and I was able to take all my chances.

"We are playing more attacking football this season, so I am getting more chances. We are high on confidence and want to continue playing at this level after the international break."

Kalou's three goals mean that he has already beaten his overall goal tally from last season in the current campaign, bringing his total to seven in 11 Bundesliga matches.