Arsenal arrived on Merseyside with high hopes as manager Arsene Wenger stated he believes he has the squad to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title this season.
For Everton's David Moyes, the quest began to repeat the heroics of 2004/05 and break the stranglehold the big four have on the Champions League positions.
Without investment and any significant signings though, many now fear even building on last season's success of fifth in the league and an FA Cup Final appearance will be nigh on impossible.
Everton were forced to start the season without long-term absentees Mikel Arteta, Victor Anichebe, Phil Jagielka and Yakubu, while Arsenal arrived minus England star Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby, Johann Djourou, Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky.
The first 25 minutes of this encounter were as drab as one can possibly remember between these two sides.
Arsenal were pretty to watch as always but completely ineffectual in front of goal while Everton played with a predictability that reflected their limited first-team options.
On 26 minutes, Denilson came up with a goal so impressive it wiped out the memory of the previous period in a flash.
He received the ball from Cesc Fabregas 20 yards out after great work by Nicklas Bendtner and unleashed a shot that Tim Howard had no chance of getting to.
Afterwards Everton applied slightly more pressure on Manuel Almunia's goal but it was Arsenal not the Toffees who added to their tally.
In fact they added two more before half-time as they hit their stride and both would have had David Moyes spitting blood so cheaply were they given away.
On 37 minutes new signing Thomas Vermaelen connected with a Robin van Persie free-kick to plant a free header from six yards past Howard.
Four minutes later the same trick was repeated, but this time the performers were Fabregas and William Gallas.
The shambolic Everton players actually looked scared to leave the pitch at half-time, knowing as they did the vitriol of a furious Moyes awaited them in the dressing room.
Everton retook the field with a purpose that lasted all of two minutes as they got in front of the Arsenal goal, promptly lost the ball and watched Denilson run up field, lay off to van Persie who crossed to Fabregas who put it past Howard.
The introduction of Jack Rodwell, Louis Saha and Dan Gosling after an hour give a slight hope of a consolation as Steven Pienaar and Rodwell had chances on goal, but ultimately it was academic as Everton fell to their heaviest defeat on an opening day at Goodison since the legendary Tom Finney scored two as Preston North End beat the Blues 4-0 in August 1955.
For good measure, Fabregas popped in a peach for his second and Arsenal's fifth as he ran up field, picked his spot and buried the ball past Howard.
Then to top it, Eduardo Da Silva scored in the dying minutes to make it 6-0 after Andrey Arshavin had hit the post.
Saha scored an consolation on 90 minutes but it could not mask a woeful first day for the Toffees.