Henry smashes Wrighty record

Sparta Prague 0 Arsenal 2

Arsenal may be in danger of becoming a one-man team, but what a player that one man is.

Thierry Henry made his long-awaited return from injury in Prague and immediately wrote his name indelibly into the club’s record books.

Henry had not played at all for six weeks due to a groin injury and was only supposed to be risked for at most half an hour in this Champions League group tie at Sparta Prague.

However, as Jose Antonio Reyes was added to a growing injury list, Henry was summoned off the bench after just 15 minutes and promptly struck a superb effort just six minutes later.

That drew him level with Ian Wright’s all-time club scoring mark of 185 goals, but there was more to come. With 18 minutes left, Henry had scored again as Arsenal moved within one step of the knock-out stages.

Having won their first three group ties, they look rather more comfortable in the Champions League than in the Premier League, but there is no mystery over the reason for their domestic slump – the loss of their influential captain.

Henry had not played for Arsenal since August 24 against Fulham and, in that time, the Gunners have slipped out of the title race. After all, he was still their top scorer even before these two latest goals.

The Gunners, who were without Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Alexander Hleb and Freddie Ljungberg even before the loss of Reyes, were also indebted to Kolo Toure, who was superb at the back in Prague.

And they have now realistically need just one more point from their remaining three group games – including two at home – to make it through to the last 16 on a night to savour in Prague.

A partial ban on supporters following problems with racial abuse meant a curious atmosphere inside the stadium, with huge swathes of seats left unfilled.

But with Gilberto initially captaining the side, the visitors made a confident start, with Cesc Fabregas’ shot after just one minute being saved by keeper Jaromir Blazek from a tight angle.

Sparta soon began to make their own presence felt in attack and Jens Lehmann had to be alert to deny Zdenek Pospech, while Toure was across quickly to block Miroslav Slepicka’s route to goal.

The last thing that Arsene Wenger needed was another injury problem but Reyes went off in pain after just 14 minutes having been caught for the second time in the game.

Having ideally only wanted to use Henry as a late substitute, the Frenchman was plunged into the thick of the action with 75 minutes left to play.

It was a risky move but Wenger had little choice, with only a group of youngsters otherwise on the bench as so many first-team players are already out injured.

And what a move it proved to be. Henry had an ambitious volley deflected over the bar within two minutes of his arrival and, just four minutes later, he put his team ahead.

His strike was worthy of its historic nature. Controlling a long ball forward by Toure on his instep, Henry still had his back to goal and his marker mistakenly relaxed for a split-second.

By the time he had recovered from that fatal lapse, Henry had spun and curled an exquisite shot with the outside of his right boot into the far corner past the despairing dive of Blazek.

The Arsenal captain, who received a warning from German referee Wolfgang Stark after contesting a free-kick decision with the linesman, thereafter offered a new dimension to the Gunners’ attacking play.

Not that his team were exactly comfortable at the back, however, with Gael Clichy looking extremely nervous at left-back, where he was regularly caught out of position.

Toure nevertheless covered adeptly on several occasions as he marshalled the inexperienced defence in the absence of Campbell and Arsenal were relieved when Pospech volleyed one opening wide.

Clichy’s problems continued and he joined Robin van Persie in being booked for a mistimed tackle on the edge of the penalty area, while Arsenal continued to live dangerously at the back.

Henry’s lack of match fitness was understandably starting to show after so long on the sidelines and one half-chance just slipped away as he allowed Robert Pires’ pass to slip momentarily out of his control.

However, he still provided the pass from which Fabregas almost put the Gunners further ahead only to be denied by a reaction save from Blazek.

And he then struck himself for a fifth time this season when he latched onto Pires’ excellent through-ball and finished with aplomb as he clipped his shot past Blazek.

Arsenal held on comfortably enough, with Lukas Zelenka directing Sparta’s best chance past the post. As the final whistle blew, Henry took centre-stage as he received the applause of the travelling fans.

It was as if he had never been away.