Pennant and Pires hat-tricks gun down hapless Southampton

Arsenal 6

Winger Robert Pires also struck three times, including a sensational 25-yard chip, as Arsenal emorselessly took their FA Cup final opponents apart at Highbury.

It did not take Southampton long to test out Arsenal’s makeshift central defensive pairing of Luzhny, nicknamed the ‘horse’ and Stepanovs, who has previously resembled more of a donkey.

Jo Tessem easily burst through their attempted challenges onto an early long ball, but was denied by a smart reaction save from Taylor, with Fabrice Fernandes blazing the loose ball over the bar.

Arsenal continued to live dangerously at the back, but they were a completely different prospect going forward as they stormed into a 4-0 lead with just 23 minutes gone.

Kanu’s neat one-two with Parlour set the midfielder bearing down on the Southampton goal and, while keeper Paul Jones saved his shot, Pires was on hand to smash the rebound into the roof of the net for the first goal.

That was with just nine minutes gone and, after Davies and Henry had exchanged wasted chances at either end, the Gunners were further ahead just eight minutes later.

Kanu and Henry were involved in the build-up, before Giovanni van Bronckhorst teed up Pennant, who calmly placed his shot just inside the far post.

With 20 minutes gone, they were 3-0 up and cruising as Henry’s deflected shot was only just saved by Jones and Pennant was again on hand, this time to head home the rebound.

And just three minutes later, it was 4-0 as Henry set through Pires, who drove his shot past Jones inside the near post.

If Gordon Strachan thought that was bad enough, worse was to follow.

For there were still 19 minutes left before half-time when Pennant completed his hat-trick.

Strachan had seen enough. Off came Fernandes, with Baird sent on to help shield a reformed back three, with Wayne Bridge and Paul Telfer now acting as wing-backs.

At least it stemmed the tide, enabling Southampton to recover enough to hit back when Tessem sneaked ahead of Stepanovs to convert Bridge’s low cross.

Inredibly, Arsenal had scored five times and Henry was not on the scoresheet.

The Frenchman was still chasing the golden boot as the Premiership’s leading scorer and, with 23 goals to his name, started the night equal with Beattie and just one behind Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Still he was missing out, as Arsenal’s rout continued with less than three minutes of the second half gone as Pires completed the second hat-trick of the game.

Arsenal were by now taking it rather easy, with Pires going off to be replaced by Bergkamp Arsenal remained in control as they completed their rout. Cardiff awaits.

ARSENAL: Taylor, Toure, Luzhny, Stepanovs, Garry, Pennant, Parlour, van Bronckhorst, Pires, Kanu, Henry.

SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Telfer, Williams, Svensson, Bridge, Fernandes, Prutton, Svensson, Higginbotham, Tessem, Davies.