Arsenal vs. Sunderland: Thierry Henry Saves the Gunners with Last-Gasp Winner

With a thrust of his arms, Thierry Henry exhorted the traveling band of Gooners who had made the long trek up to the northeast of England.

That hardy group had braved inclement weather to watch their favorite side take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, a fixture that has been nothing short of tricky in recent seasons, and Henry, like Jack Wilshere before him, wanted to show his appreciation for that show of devotion.

The Frenchman had just scored what would prove to be the decisive goal in a tense, terse 2-1 victory over a resilient Black Cats side, but it was his last touch on the ball in this match that said everything.

After winning a throw-in off Sunderland defender John O'Shea (this match marked the first time those two had faced each other since Henry's infamous hand ball incident while playing for France against Ireland in the World Cup playoff on Nov. 18, 2009), Henry turned toward the Arsenal band of supporters and provided the second sampling of French celebration seen on Saturday.

Henry's own act seemed a bit classier than that of Manchester United defender Patrice Evra's windmilling celebration following United's 2-1 win over Liverpool earlier in the day, but there's no point debating that topic.

What mattered most for Arsenal fans was that Henry, so long the savior of Arsenal, provided the winning punch on a day when three points had looked like the tallest of orders.

Arsenal controlled possession from the get-go in this match—by the final whistle, the stats would read 70-30 in their favor in that department—but they were unable to amount any serious attacks in the final third.

Martin O'Neill's side defended resolutely, often placing nine men behind the ball, and forced Arsenal to play side to side.

When the Gunners did try and force-feed their way in past the sturdy defense—in what often appeared as pleasurable an undertaking as a root canal—defenders always seemed in position to get a block. I think I counted five Tomas Rosicky efforts which rebounded off a red-and-white-striped back. Quite a tally.

Arsene Wenger had opted to start Rosicky ahead of Aaron Ramsey for the second time in as many weeks, and the Czech, making his 100th start for the club, didn't disappoint.

Rosicky appears to have just that added modicum of technique that affords him a second longer on the ball, and he was once again excellent playing as the attacking midfielder.

Sunderland were well aware of the threat of Arsenal's top two attacking talents at the moment—Robin van Persie and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain—and from the first whistle they did everything in their power to deny those two time on the ball.

Aside from a lengthy run by Van Persie in the first half, where the Dutchman played in Theo Walcott with an excellent ball past the defense, Sunderland were largely effective in their stolid approach to both players.

Oxlade-Chamberlain did everything he could to become more involved in the play, drifting centrally and shifting up and down the left flank, but his first half was uncommonly quiet by his lofty standards—a decisive break from previous matches.

The 18-year-old winger was far more active in the second half, but Sunderland right-back Phillip Bardsley was effective in his defense against England's new it-boy. When Wenger finally subbed Oxlade-Chamberlain for Henry in the 66th minute, there were few who could argue with the call.

Bardsley's experience had won the battle, but with Oxlade-Chamberlain's heaping amount of potential, rest assured he will have plenty more opportunities to win the war.

Despite bossing possession for most of the game, Arsenal were still susceptible to pressure from Sunderland, who would end up with 10 shots on goal, three of which hit the target.

A sustained spell of pressure by the hosts as the match turned into its final third saw Sunderland grab the lead on 70 minutes when left winger James McClean, in a fit of opportunistic furor, took advantage of Per Mertesacker's tumble on the ball before racing toward goal and dispatching a well-placed finish past Wojciech Szczesny from a very acute angle.

Arsenal may have felt hard-done by, but their most pressing concern was what appeared to be a serious injury to the tall German defender. Wenger substituted him off immediately for Ramsey, and shifted Alex Song from central midfield to a center back pairing with Laurent Koscielny.

It was then that the Gunners began building what would become the perfect crescendo of the final minutes.

Ramsey brought Arsenal level with a Steven Gerrard-esque right-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area that hit the left post before scurrying across the goal line and bouncing in off the left frame.

Back on level terms, the Gunners pressed for a winner. Andrei Arshavin, mired in such moribund form of late, was brought on for the maddeningly ineffective Theo Walcott in the 87th minute, and scurried out to his left wing position.

Despite only being on the pitch for less than 10 minutes, Arshavin enjoyed a healthy share of time on the ball. And unlike previous appearances, this time the little Russian made his brief spell count.

With the clock inching toward 90 minutes and the promise of four minutes' added time, Arshavin received the ball on the left wing. He cut inside onto his right foot, as we've so often seen him do, before lofting a cross in toward the box.

There, of course, was Henry (it had to be!), who poked home with his right toe past keeper Simon Mignolet with what could only have been the winner on a day so steeped in nostalgia.

It was the third goal Henry has scored for Arsenal since making his loan move from New York Red Bulls nearly six weeks ago.

The winner against Leeds United may have been the most glorious, and the cherry-on-top finish against Blackburn cemented his final appearance at the Emirates, but it was this particular goal to win a crucial away match in the Premier League that most fittingly encapsulated his time back with the "club" of his life.

Maybe it was his heartfelt celebrations both during and after the match that were the most poignant representation of how much this win meant to him.

But we didn't need any further confirmation of the Frenchman's love for this club. His 229 goals say an awful lot, and offering to come back and be a water boy just so he can have a place in the Arsenal set-up says an awful lot more.

When an anonymous fan amongst the visiting band of supporters threw his red-and-white scarf toward Henry after the final whistle had gone in the hopes that the now-No. 12 might don it during his celebration, Henry immediately threw it back into the stands.

He didn't need an added accessory to express his devotion. All he needed was the crest above his chest and the inimitable feeling embedded in his soul.

This man was Arsenal. This man is Arsenal. And the current side are all the better for having been with him for six weeks at the start of 2012.