The king is back

Arsenal 1-0 Leeds

“It was written in the stars”, the words of Leeds manager Simon Grayson summed up last night’s events perfectly. The game which signalled the return of Arsenal’s greatest ever goal scorer could only end with Thierry Henry scoring the winning goal at the Emirates, it was just meant to be. While the noise upon his introduction from the substitute’s bench was phenomenal, the roar that greeted his goal was simply deafening.

The legendary Frenchman may have left Arsenal five years ago, but he always remained firmly in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful, and they in his. The tears Henry shed at the recent unveiling of his statue outside the stadium confirmed the mutual affection he shares with the club’s fans and his goal celebration emphasised just what this club means to him. Henry ran towards Arsene Wenger and hugged the manager before passionately beating his chest as the Emirates Stadium went wild. It was a truly magical moment which will live long in the memory.

The fact that Arsenal had not looked like scoring before Henry’s introduction must surely be of great concern to the manager. Early in the first half Arshavin was sent through on goal by Chamakh, following a mistake by the Leeds defence, but the Russian blazed his first time shot over the bar, when he had the time to take a touch first. While his confidence to take on such difficult shots may be admired, it is also a source of frustration when other options are available. For example in the second half Arshavin chose to attempt to volley a cross towards goal, from the edge of the box, when he had time and space to bring the ball down and create an opportunity for a colleague. Although Arsenal had all the possession, as Leeds sat back, the Gunners did not seem capable of breaking down the opposition’s stubborn defence and without a real presence upfront, created few opportunities.

In the build-up to the game, the official Arsenal website implied Henry would start on the bench as Wenger had worked extremely hard to secure the services of Chamakh, for one more match before he joins the Moroccan national team for the African Nations Cup. After yet another largely anonymous performance I don’t know why Wenger bothered. Chamakh clearly lacks confidence on the ball and is easily dispossessed while his touch has completely deserted him. His lack of desire and attacking nous were simply further highlighted by Henry and the art of his movement. While Chamakh had virtually stood still for 70 minutes, Henry continually sought to stretch the Leeds defence with clever, incisive runs. He may not have received the ball every time, but his sheer movement gave the Leeds defenders something to think about. It was this movement that led to the winning goal.

With Alex Song in possession on the edge of the box, Henry moved off the shoulder of the last defender and created space for himself. Song’s through pass was perfectly weighted for Henry to control with his first touch and then move his body into position to calmly stroke the ball into the bottom far corner. It was a master class in creating space and converting when the opportunity presents itself. But there should not have been any surprise, in his previous spell at the club, Arsenal fans had witnessed this trademark finish on countless occasions; quite simply it was vintage Henry. The king is back.