We determine holographically 2-point correlators of gauge invariant operators with large conformal weights and entanglement entropy of strips for a time-dependent anisotropic 5-dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime. At the early stage of evolution where geodesics and extremal surfaces can extend beyond the apparent horizon all observables vary substantially from their thermal value, but thermalize rapidly. At late times we recover quasi-normal ringing of correlators and holographic entanglement entropy around their thermal values, as expected on general grounds. We check the behaviour of holographic entanglement entropy and correlators as function of the separation length of the strip and find agreement with the exact expressions derived in the small and large temperature limits.