Titi Races Back to Claim Record
2 comments October 19th, 2005
On yet another surprisingly successful European night, Thierry Henry returned to claim Arsenal’s all-time goalscoring record.
The magic moment came in the 74th minute, when he latched onto a Robert Pires pass to slot home Arsenal’s 2nd of the evening, and his 186th goal for the club.
On a night on which Arsene Wenger expected him to play for half an hour at most, Henry was forced into action after just 15 minutes; Jose Reyes going off with a broken rib.
Within 6 minutes he had given the Gunners the lead, controlling a long ball on his heel before sending a shot swerving into the far corner off the outside of his right boot. It was a stunning goal – the sort that only he is capable of. Without him we have lacked a cutting edge. In one split second, he showed exactly why. If ever a goal was worthy of equalling the record, it was this one.
After that we shut up shop. Toure and Cygan were dominant, and whilst Clichy’s inexperience was evident, Gilberto and Flamini gave him sufficient protection to survive.
We came out for the 2nd half in an unfamiliar 4-5-1 formation, with Van Persie and Fabregas operating on the wings, and Pires floating behind an understandably immobile Henry.
We lacked some of our usual fluidity, but as the game wore on we kept the ball better and better, eventually resulting in that fantastic moment for Thierry, the team, and the club as a whole.
2-0 it was, and a turning point it could well be. The return of King Henry will give everyone around Highbury a lift. The ovation he’ll recieve on Saturday could carry the team to what would be a highly significant victory over Man City.
Here’s hoping.