Arsenal plundered four goals in 10 minutes as they pummelled Sevilla to claim the Emirates Cup on Saturday afternoon and heighten anticipation for the fast-approaching Premier League season.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a cool penalty he won after a clumsy shove in the back from Karim Rekik, with Martin Odegaard instrumental in creating the chance. Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead just three minutes later with a poacher's finish from close range after fine work from Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka.
The Gunners all but put the game to bed with just a quarter of an hour on the clock as Jesus latched onto a whipped cross from Martinelli to poke beyond goalkeeper Bono and send the Emirates wild. Adding to Arsenal's delight and Sevilla's woe, Saka pounced on some dire passing by the visiting defence to grab his second with 19 minutes played.
Although the Gunners were kept at bay throughout most of the second half, Jesus capitalised on a loose ball in the area to complete his hat-trick with just under 15 minutes remaining. Martinelli then registered another assist with an unselfish pass from Xhaka's through-ball to tee up substitute Eddie Nketiah and make it six.
The result means Mikel Arteta's side have won six of their seven pre-season outings, with a 2-1 defeat by Brentford in a behind-closed-doors fixture the only blemish on their excellent record.
Here are five talking points from a brilliant afternoon for Arsenal.
Welcome to North London, Gabriel
Having already notched four goals in his first pre-season as an Arsenal player, Gabriel Jesus lit up the Emirates with another two-goal display against Sevilla. The Brazilian looks every bit the No. 9 the Gunners were crying out for last season and he may well be the man to inspire a charge towards Champions League qualification this campaign.
He showed his knack for being in the right place at the right time to score his first and produced a fine bit of movement to combine with Gabriel Martinelli to add his second and Arsenal's third. Jesus completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute with another opportunistic strike, again popping up in the box to pounce on a loose ball.
Mikel Arteta could not have hoped for more from Jesus on his first Gunners appearance at the Emirates, and the £45million fee paid to Manchester City may well prove to be a bargain once the season proper gets underway.
How many goals will Gabriel Jesus score this season? Have your say in the comments!
Odegaard pulls on the armband - and pulls the strings
Martin Odegaard was unveiled as Arsenal's new captain ahead of the Emirates Cup clash, meaning he now skippers his country, Norway, as well as his club. The playmaker may only be 23 but he continues to show maturity and leadership qualities beyond his years, making him the obvious successor to Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Against Sevilla, Odegaard lined up in his regular No. 10 role and was typically dynamic in midfield. He had a crucial role in Bukayo Saka's opener, playing his teammate through with a delightful clipped pass before the Englishman was bundled to the ground.
The new Gunners captain will have been delighted by the frenzied intensity with which his teammates went about their business as they relentlessly harried Sevilla and forced the visitors into a glut of errors.
A back-three hint
While the headlines will focus on Arsenal's rampaging forwards, Mikel Arteta's defence also played its part in the thoroughly-dominant victory over Sevilla. The Gunners manager deployed a trio of centre-backs against the Spanish club, with William Saliba flanked by Benjamin White to his right and Gabriel to his left.
Arsenal were rarely troubled despite the attacking talent on show for Sevilla, while the back-three system allowed Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko to excel in the wing-back roles. Although Arteta largely used a four-man defence last season, he may be wondering whether the formation he used against the La Liga side may be the one which gets the best out of his first-choice XI.
How impressive was this victory?
While fans are often reminded not to get carried away by pre-season results, this was by no means a weak Sevilla team which Arsenal put to the sword. Of course, Julen Lopetegui has seen his defence torn apart during the transfer window thanks to Diego Costa and Jules Kounde joining Aston Villa and Barcelona respectively.
But there were plenty of household names on show for the visitors, including Jesus Navas, Ivan Rakitic, Erik Lamela - the former Tottenham winger was booed with every touch - and Youssef En-Nesyri. When the team sheets were released, few could have envisaged Arsenal running away with the game as they did, with many suspecting the Emirates Cup would produce a hard-fought fixture.
As it happens, the remarkable scoreline bore testament to Arsenal's constant pressing and desire to thrill their fans, proving there is a burning desire to write the wrongs of last season's late collapse in pursuit of a top-four finish.
The Emirates remembers
There was an emotional atmosphere immediately before kick-off as Arsenal and Sevilla paid tribute to Jose Antonio Reyes, who died in a car crash in June 2019. The gifted winger came through the ranks at Sevilla before joining the Gunners in 2004, going on to make 110 appearances before the North Londoners before returning to the Spanish club later in his career.
Ahead of kick-off, the two clubs exchanged shirts with Reyes' name and the numbers he wore for Arsenal and Sevilla - nine and 10 respectively - while the Spaniard's jersey was also hung in the home dressing room. There was also a minute's applause in the ninth minute.
There was also a poignant tribute for Terry Neil, the Gunners' former manager who led them to FA Cup glory in 1979.
