LONDON, May 8: Robert Pires and Jermaine Pennant fired hat tricks to help Arsenal demolish Southampton 6-1 on Wednesday in a dress rehearsal for next week’s FA Cup final.

The former champions, whose hopes of retaining their title ended with a 3-2 home defeat by Leeds United on Sunday which handed Manchester United the crown, put Saints to the sword with a rampant first-half display.

Both managers fielded understrength teams in what was effectively a meaningless encounter. Arsene Wenger gave 19-year-old Ryan Garry his Premier League debut while Gordon Strachan left top strikers James Beattie and Brett Ormerod on the bench.

Pires opened the floodgates in the ninth minute before Pennant, netting his first goals for the club, added strikes on 16 and 19. Pires scored again on 23 and three-minutes later Pennant completed his hat trick.

Jo Tessem pulled one back for the visitors 10 minutes before the break but the respite was brief and Pires added his third with a sublime looping shot soon after the re-start.

The two sides meet again in the FA Cup final on Saturday May 17.—Reuters