Thierry Henry has stated that scoring the winning goal against Sunderland on Saturday made him feel like a youngster again.

The veteran French attacker found the net in injury time to give The Gunners all three points in a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light, in what will be his last Premier League appearance for the north London outfit before heading back to New York Red Bulls.

The goal was a source of delight for Henry, who is eligible for Arsenal's Champions League tie against AC Milan in midweek before returning to the United States.

"Just like a kid who came on and scored his first goal for the team he loves, that's exactly how I felt, really like a kid,” he told BBC Sport.

"When it comes to Arsenal, I always feel something special. At the end of the day, I was there at the end of the move, but I just want to help.

"That's all I wanted to do. I said it right from the start - I didn't want to be a hero or whatever, just like one of the guys in the dressing room.

“When you come on as a sub, you want to help your team and change the game anyway, anyhow, and it did happen.

"A lot of the time, the guy who puts the ball in the back of the net will always get the credit, but the cross from Andrey Arshavin was perfect.

"You can always miss, but it was going to be very difficult to miss that one, so you have to give him a lot of credit for that one.

"I was just there at the right time and I finished it, so that's the most important thing.

"Obviously, I stayed a bit longer with the Arsenal fans at the end because I knew it was the last game for me in the Premier League, so I just wanted to say, 'Thanks, that's it'," he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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