History

GGM 10: Henry inspires 5-1 win over Inter Milan

It's easy to forget that Arsenal would have been eliminated from the Champions League had they lost at the San Siro on November 25, 2003.

Instead, they overcame injuries and the spectre of Inter's 3-0 win at Highbury two months earlier to inflict the Milan club's heaviest home defeat in 47 years of European football.

It was a proud night for stand-in captain Ray Parlour and the travelling fans who reworked their 'One-nil to the Arsenal' chant to 'Five-one in the San Siro'. But the star of this particular show was undoubtedly Thierry Henry.

The French striker's instinctive finish broke the deadlock in the 25th minute and, although Inter drew level before half time through Christian Vieri's deflected shot, Arsenal were soon back in charge.

Four minutes after the interval Freddie Ljungberg restored their advantage from Henry's pass before the Frenchman himself secured victory with the goal of the game five minutes from time.

Collecting Parlour's header on the halfway line, Henry raced away from Javier Zanetti and checked his run before bursting past the Argentina captain once more to hammer a left-foot shot past Francesco Toldo and in off the post. It was the perfect demonstration of Henry's remarkable ability - pace, strength, skill and lethal finishing.

There was more for Arsenal's fans to enjoy as Inter's defence fell to pieces. Henry helped set up a fourth goal for Edu before Jeremie Aliadiere, on as a substitute, played in Robert Pires to complete an incredible 5-1 scoreline.

Arsène Wenger's men were riding high in the Premiership but their ability to compete in Europe had been questioned. This was the perfect response. "I am very proud of the players and the spirit they showed," said Wenger. "Our character came out. We were persistent and we took our chances."