Henry plays down talk of trophies

THIERRY HENRY is determined to keep his feet on the ground despite Arsenal playing the kind of heavenly football which could lead to a four-trophy haul this season.

Henry was again the inspiration behind a sublime Arsenal performance at Elland Road on Sunday as Arsene Wenger's side began their defence of the FA Cup with a superb 4-1 third-round win over struggling Leeds.

They are still in contention on four fronts but the French superstar insists it is a premature to talk about trophies.

"Last season, a lot of people were talking about us winning this and winning that and we only won the FA Cup," said Henry after Arsenal stretched their unbeaten run in the competition to 15 games.

"Let's keep our feet on the ground, enjoy it and see what we can do. But we are not trying to beat any records.

"When you play for teams like Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea, you don't want to lose and if you are not losing then you have good records. But we are far from another FA Cup final. We have a lot of stuff to focus on with the Premiership, then the Champions League and when the FA Cup comes around again we will focus on that."

Henry scored the Gunners' equaliser his 17th club goal this season after Jens Lehmann had gifted Mark Viduka an eighth-minute opener, and then set up the second and third for Edu and Robert Pires.

The quality of Arsenal's play was at times breathtaking as Leeds were carved open at will for all four goals, although the final scoreline was harsh on caretaker-boss Eddie Gray's relegation battlers. Henry added: "I've always said that as long as we play as a team then we can do well and that's what we are doing. At the moment people are talking about one, two or three players, but it's a team thing.

"There are also many times it can be difficult to cope with the games, but at this moment we seem to have the legs to run and then you can perform. Let's hope we can keep our good health and keep fit."

Lehmann, meanwhile, is confident his error against Leeds will not affect him, but is grateful to his team-mates for sparing his blushes.

"I made the wrong decision, made a mistake and it was a freakish goal," explained the German. "Unfortunately it happens and I am very sorry about it. I said sorry to my team-mates in the dressing room at half-time, but they told me not to worry.

"I don't have problems with making a mistake. I did the same against Kiev in the Champions League and after that I didn't think about it, so this won't bother me. But I will remember it because it was a funny goal."

Henry believes Lehmann's gaffe helped the team to rally, in particular for their embarrassed colleague as he added: "Unfortunately for Jens he made a mistake, but at the end of the day we are all in it together.

"That's why we wanted to put everything right and make it up for him, otherwise he would have had a difficult time. The most important thing is the way we reacted. We played some magnificent football and for the four goals there were some brilliant passing movements.

"But it's important for us to still be in the FA Cup, and most important of all for Jens because we need him."