Arsenal and Everton blocked England’s World Cup third-place playoff with Belgium off their minds as they both focused on their pre-season preparations. Both teams saw their new managers in charge for the first time (Unai Emery for Arsenal; Marco Silva for Everton), and hoped that they’d start off well in their respective dugouts with the aim of assessing player fitness and avoiding injuries. With the Premier League just 27 days away, neither manager would have wanted their players to pick up knocks of any kind.

The Gunners ensured that Emery’s first game was memorable as they cannoned their way past Boreham Wood 8-0 at Meadow Park, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netting a first half hat-trick before further goals from Reiss Nelson and Alexandre Lacazette gave them a handsome half-time advantage. Eddie Nketiah struck a sixth eight minutes after the break and further goals from Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Henrikh Mkhitaryan completed a confidence-boosting victory on Emery’s debut.

It was all well for Marco Silva’s new Everton side in Austria as they battered ATV Irdning 22-0. Kevin Mirallas struck a hat-trick in the first seven minutes of the second half before adding two more. Strikers, Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse, hit four apiece; Lookman, Baines and Keane all scored hat-tricks, Vlasic got two, and an own-goal capped it off for the Toffees.

Everton open their Premier League campaign away to newly-promoted Wolves on August 11th and Arsenal begin at home to Manchester City the following day.