Boreham Wood vs Arsenal. Friendly Match.
Meadow Park.
Alexandre Lacazette and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also on scoresheet
Saturday 14 July 2018 21:22, UK
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick as Unai Emery watched his new Arsenal side thrash Boreham Wood 8-0 in a pre-season friendly.
Aubameyang struck three times inside the opening 17 minutes (7, 9, 17) at Meadow Lane, before further goals from Reiss Nelson (35) and Alexandre Lacazette (39) gave the Gunners a handsome half-time advantage.
Eddie Nketiah struck a sixth eight minutes after the restart and further goals from Jeff Reine-Adelaide (71) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (79) completed a confidence-boosting victory on Emery's debut.
Arsenal fielded new signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos in defence against the National League side but a more familiar face in attack sparked the goal rush, Aubameyang curling into the top corner, before stooping to head in a second just minutes later after good work from Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The Gabon striker soon sealed his hat-trick from the spot after Nelson was upended and the youngster added one of his own shortly before the break when he connected on the volley.
Teenage midfielder Emile Smith Rowe played a key role in a fifth before the break, winning a ball in defence before Aubameyang teed up strike partner Lacazette.
Emery fielded a fresh XI in the second half - Aaron Ramsey and Mkhitaryan among those involved - but another youngster, Nketiah, maintained the momentum when he poked home.
Reine-Adelaide, back after a loan spell back at French side Angers, drilled a seventh and Mkhitaryan completed the rout on a satisfying afternoon for the new Arsenal head coach.
Summer signing Matteo Guendouzi came on as a late substitute.
