Pennant and Pires delight in treble therapy

Arsenal 6 Southampton 1

If Southampton were concerned that they would go into the FA Cup Final burdened with anything but the status of underdogs, they need worry no more. If Arsenal were anxious that the disappointment of losing the Premiership title would sap morale, then banish that thought.

It was an irrepressible show by the newly-deposed champions, reminiscent, in the fading May sunlight, of the eviscerating football of the autumn. In beating Southampton so comprehensively, they equalled the biggest win in the Premiership this season.

Although the personnel will be altered when the two sides meet again in Cardiff next week, Southampton left the field shell-shocked and paying the price for an apparent, although disputed, lack of interest of late. Their manager, Gordon Strachan, will have much rebuilding to do – "our psychotherapist has his work cut out", he said – but his most effective tool in steeling his players for the final will be wounded pride.

For his Arsenal counterpart, Arsène Wenger, this was an ideal, and instant, recuperation with two of his players collecting hat-tricks and Thierry Henry at his virtuoso best, although he, amazingly in view of his quest for the golden boot, did not score. At the end Wenger had to console him. "Tonight gives the players regrets as well," he said, in reference to the heartbreak in the league.

Just eight of the players who started – three for Arsenal, five for Southampton – can be assured of their place at the Millennium Stadium although, for the visitors, that number may have dwindled by the end.

In an astonishing first-half hour – first 26 minutes, in fact – Arsenal scored five times, including three supremely confident goals from Jermaine Pennant, just 20, and making his first Premiership start after a troubled few weeks, during which he had been sent home while on England Under-21 duty. "It is difficult to find a talent like his," said Wenger, "although he still has to find stability in his life."

Remarkably, in view of later events, it took Arsenal nearly 10 minutes to strike. A clever return ball by Nwankwo Kanu, who was involved in all five goals, was picked up by Ray Parlour, captaining the side and guaranteed a start in the Cup final, and after his shot had been parried Robert Pires found the roof of the net from an acute angle.

Pennant then shot low and beyond Paul Jones after a smooth passing move in which the ball was transferred quickly across the face of the penalty area. Moments later, Kanu's short corner was picked up by Henry, whose fierce shot took a heavy deflection. Jones' save only steered it into the path of Pennant, who headed easily beyond the goalkeeper.

That was three. The fourth came from another clean Pires strike after fine interplay again involving Henry and Kanu, and then Pennant completed his 10-minute hat-trick. With sky-high confidence he ran on to Henry's astute pass and thumped the ball across Jones.

Southampton were in pieces and a bewildered, and somewhat bothered, Strachan withdrew Fabrice Fernandes and introduced another defender to try to limit the damage. His players steadied themselves and Jo Tessem took advantage of poor positioning by the lumbering Igor Stepanovs, again exposing Arsenal's lack of defensive resources, as Wenger admitted afterwards, to connect with Wayne Bridge's cross. Finally the dam appeared to have been plugged.

Less than 100 seconds into the second half, it was breached again. Pires took his hat-trick with a fantastic, instinctive right-foot chip over Jones from 30 yards following a slip by Paul Telfer. It was a pearl of a goal and completed the scoring.

But, as much as the goals, there was the showboating, with Henry dropping deeper and deeper to run with the ball and, at will, shoot, often unopposed, from distance. It was remarkable therapy.

Southampton had little choice but to attack and after James Beattie had come on as substitute he had three strikes at goal to offer hope. Afterwards, Strachan said: "A strange feeling came over me 10 minutes before the end that we can win the Cup. We will not win it by standing off and watching Arsenal play. I will pick the team with the biggest hearts."

Now that Arsenal have repaired theirs, it should be some contest.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Taylor 5; Touré 5, Luzhny 5 (Tavlaridis, 76), Stepanovs 2, Garry 6; Pennant 8 (Hoyte, 90), Parlour 7, Van Bronckhorst 7, Pires 8 (Bergkamp 6, 62); Henry 9, Kanu 8. Substitutes not used: Warmuz (gk), Wiltord.

Southampton (4-4-2): Jones 4; Telfer 3, Williams 2, M Svensson 3, Higginbotham 3; Fernandes 3 (Baird 3, 27), Prutton 3, A Svensson 2 (Oakley 5, 56), Bridge 4; K Davies 2 (Beattie, 76), Tessem 4. Substitutes not used: A Davies (gk), Ormerod.

Referee: U Rennie (South Yorkshire).