Henry’s spinning run away from his marker and Song’s pass were almost made at the exact moment. Henry took a touch and as if I was watching the Arsenal Matrix film, everything slowed down, he was in a position that we have seen on so many wonderful occasions in the past. Think Roma away, think Leeds United in their last game at Highbury, think countless other times. The moment his skidding

“Those who are being handsomely paid for writing about the match will be hoping that the game is still level at least before Henry comes on”

That is what I wrote pre-match but I didn’t continue to write the fairy tail ending because it was too cheesy, too cliche and too obvious. It would have been what Arsenal fans would have spoken about in the pubs before the game but then had a collective chuckle at the far fetched story.

We should have been way out of sight in 68 minutes when Thierry Henry and Theo Walcott waited to swap with Marouane Chamakh and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Theo came on first almost invisible to the Emirates crowd, that is nothing to do with Theo Walcott, it could have been almost any other player coming on and they would have been irrelevant.

The atmosphere was being wound up for our record goal scorer and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry wearing the number 12 shirt, the shirt that he had worn for France for so long. When he stepped onto the pitch it was almost as if a goal had been scored.

My first impression of Henry jogging around the pitch trying to get on the end of a few passes to feet was that naturally some of his former mobility had gone, he looked his age and didn’t look as if he was about to take up that left channel position and burn past the right back as he used to do in days gone by.

I wondered if he would get that chance to score, would the ball fall to him and if so would he take it. I glanced at the time remaining on my television screen and said to myself that he would probably get one chance, I hope he gets that chance soon. Apparently four touches later, Alex Song had driven forward into an advance position, a position that our deeper midfielders needed to get into more often during the game and for a split second Song and Henry had connected on a higher wavelength. Henry’s spinning run away from his marker and Song’s pass were almost made at the exact same moment. Henry took a touch and as if I was watching the Arsenal Matrix film, everything slowed down, he was in a position that we have seen on so many wonderful occasions in the past. Think Roma away, think Leeds United in their last game at Highbury, think countless other times. The moment his skidding, curling daisy cutter left his foot, it looked as if it was wide of the post but in each slow motion frame, the ball just curls into the inside side netting.

“No way!” I leapt up out of my seat, trying to control the volume of my voice as I had moments earlier said goodnight to my children. I pumped my fists in the air and didn’t quite know what to do with myself. Thierry Henry has come back and tucked away his very first chance almost five years since he netted his 226th Arsenal goal.

Amazing.

I have watched that goal many times and there is one close up of his celebration where you get to see the reaction of the supporters from close up, the sheer joy from every face that comes into shot is that of natural happiness. It wasn’t the celebration of a goal or even a winning goal but a celebration of a special moment, one that I regret not going to.

The pressure is now off his shoulders and any talk of tainting his Arsenal career can be ripped up and set alight. That goal alone has justified the move.

While that brought back the most vivid of memories, a late run to the corner flag with the ball took me back a few years. All we missed was a few kick up’s and bicycle kick cross but hey, he has a few weeks yet.

It would be easy and fitting for this story line to end the article here but there were players out there that deserve praise and shouldn’t be swept aside or criticised for not being Thierry Henry.

The common practice right now is to compare Chamakh to Henry, to compare their impact to the game and their goals per minute ratio. Chamakh has been heavily criticised for last night but I saw things very different. Chamakh is not a van Persie, he is not a Thierry Henry. Subtle movement and clinical finishing is not his game. He is a striker who plays for others, a player who works for the team.

For the first time in a long while, I saw the Chamakh of the first six months of last season without the goalscoring opportunities. He looked much more confident in his game and linked with his team mates very well. He created a few chances during the game with lay off’s and knock down’s. If our system requires players to get in behind and find themselves in goal scoring positions then we need players around Chamakh to do so, if we do not have enough of that type of player then perhaps we need to invest in additional personnel.

Andrey Arshavin had a hit and miss game. Did some very good work and also gave the ball away and missed chances. The difference between the Arshavin of last night and recent times was that he looked like a quality player who lacked sharpness or confidence, he didn’t look like a player who was disinterested or past it. That for me is a huge difference. Arshavin was showing for the ball, was getting involved throughout the game and he worked hard.

If we see that for a few consecutive games then there is no reason why he cannot regain some of his best form and confidence, but it is down to him, it is down to his attitude.

Alex Chamberlain is a gifted, natural footballer who is still raw but you can see that in time he will be a superb first team player who has that little bit of Thierry Henry about him. Quick and skilful yet subtle and creative enough to act as a playmaker. He played on cross field pass on his left foot which was all the proof that you needed to know about his quality. He has a larger potential as a footballer than Theo Walcott but Walcott is more penetrative and direct at present and still deserves his place ahead of the youngster at least for the short term.

It is insane that Francis Coquelin is the latest makeshift full back to get swallowed up by the injury curse. Youngster Nico Yennaris impressed me again when he came on. I would like to see him play at the weekend but Arsene will select Djourou. Miquel at left back is classy and once he adds strength and experience he will be a very big player. He never looks phased and his distribution is that of an Arsenal defender.

The team played very well and created plenty of chances but without Robin van Persie starting and indeed Thierry Henry, this team suffer from profligacy. Too many of our players snatch at chances and it was this reason that the score was still level when Henry entered the fray.

Arshavin and Ramsey were the most guilty last night, Gervinho is often guilty. Guilty of snatching at chances. Eduardo, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry all made it look easy at their prime at Arsenal because they pass the ball into corners. Even Theo Walcott for the most part in recent years is very composed in front of goal but hasn’t been able to reproduce that this season.

Robert Pires has also come back to Arsenal for training to keep fit and there are not many better people you would have teaching our squad the art of finishing. That more than any cameo, fairy tail comebacks could be the most important part of Henry’s second coming.

Aston Villa at home next in the cup gives us a very good chance to progress even further but before then we have to get back down to earth and prepare for Swansea away.

Man of the match: Mikel Arteta