Arsenal 4 Fulham 1:On an afternoon which saw Thierry Henry score twice for Arsenal and play a part in their other two goals, his substitution may sound little more than a footnote. Yet the manner of the striker's departure said as much about the threat he poses as what preceded it.
Spotting his number was up, Henry walked to the touchline at the pace of a snail on tranquillisers, disappointment etched on his face. Far from content to relax at 4-1 after 81 outstanding minutes, the Frenchman wanted more.
With a hat-trick beckoning perhaps it was not surprising. Yet Henry's demeanour told of a deeper attachment which makes him - and Arsenal - thrillingly dangerous in this mood. Here was a forward so driven and so enjoying his work that a rest felt like punishment rather than reward.
"He loves the game," said his manager, Arsene Wenger. "It's like being at a big, fantastic dinner and somebody says to you 10 minutes before the end: 'Come on, it's enough for you, leave the others there.' You don't like it."
The analogy was apt, Henry having eaten Fulham alive with notable help from Robert Pires, Lauren, Sylvain Wiltord and Patrick Vieira. If such selfishness can be an admirable trait in a forward, it was the 24-year-old's selflessness that earned particular praise from Wenger.
About the quarter-hour, with the score 1-1, Henry set up Vieira for an emphatic finish when he might have gone alone in search of his first goal.
"He made another step forward as a team player," said Wenger. "Sometimes goalscorers only become generous after they have scored."
Henry has 27 goals from 37 appearances this season, and the destiny of the title could rest in no small way on his shoot-out with Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy. If all goes to plan for the Frenchman, he will end the season with four medals.
Arsenal are still chasing the Premiership, the Champions League and the FA Cup; France are joint World Cup favourites.
"The Arsenal players will be dominant figures in the French team," Wenger said. France's coach, Roger Lemerre, was not here to see 11 of his compatriots.
Pires, Vieira, Henry and Wiltord were at the forefront of excellent one- and two-touch Arsenal attacks, encapsulated by the move that brought Lauren's opener from Wiltord's cross. Vieira got his first goal since April, after another Frenchman, Steve Marlet, briefly gave Fulham hope with a headed equaliser.
Jean Tigana's team, though, were too error-prone and used their possession to little effect. The gap between where they are and where they want to be looked huge.
Their open, attacking style suited Arsenal, who can struggle against more defensive teams here. Their lack of midfield width also helped Pires, Lauren and Henry to prosper.
Henry's display will hardly have surprised Tigana, who nurtured him at Monaco. A typical mixture of pace and precision enabled him to score from Wiltord's pass, and he got his second inadvertently after Lauren's header hit a post. Wenger did not dispute he has the world's finest striker.
"Thierry has qualities you dream of: pace, power, intelligence, finishing and his confidence is absolutely total," he said. "He is unbelievable and is still improving."
Wenger's only blow was a knee injury to Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who hopes to recover to face Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. Lee Dixon or Lauren will otherwise play as an emergency left-back. Henry would doubtless rather fill in there than go off.
Guardian Service
ARSENAL: Seaman, Lauren, Campbell, Stepanovs, Luzhny, Pires (Grimandi 73), Vieira, Parlour, van Bronckhorst (Dixon 43), Wiltord, Henry (Aliadiere 81). Subs Not Used: Edu, Wright. Goals: Lauren 5, Vieira 15, Henry 38, 59.
FULHAM: Van der Sar, Finnan, Goma, Melville, Knight (Boa Morte 56), Brevett (Harley 63), Legwinski, Malbranque, Collins, Hayles (Saha 61), Marlet. Subs Not Used: Taylor, Ouaddou. Booked: Goma. Goal: Marlet 10.
Referee: U Rennie (Sheffield)
