Even the most hard-nosed Gooner will put their hand up and admit they really got away with that result away to Burnley on Sunday evening.
The drab affair seemed destined to finish as a goalless draw, but Arsenal’s luck finally came in seconds from the end when Laurent Koscielny scored the flukiest winners.
A ball was whipped in from the right flank and the French defender sent it into the net from close-range after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain whiffed it. Fortunately for Koscielny, the fact that the Englishman failed to get a touch on it meant that he remained onside.
What’s doubly fortunate for the Gunners is that the referee didn’t spot the ball coming off Koscielny’s arm before sailing past the keeper. Anyone (with video replay technology) could see that the goal should have been disallowed.
Thierry Henry was in the studio for the game and when he was asked to give his take on the incident, he confirmed that it wasn’t offside, but when it came to the handball, he got a little weird.
Despite vowing not to “sit on the fence,” Henry didn’t really come down on either side of it. He admitted that he could see why a handball would have been given and why the referee could have given a free-out, but that sort of vague language didn’t sit well with the unruly Twitter mob.
Their reaction to his assessment should be definitive proof that Henry’s infamous handball that knocked Ireland out of the World Cup play-off is going to haunt him forever.
Thierry Henry talking about a late handball winner. Tears
— David S Mack (@DboyMack) October 2, 2016
Thierry Henry
'I'm not sitting on the fence'Then comments&sits on the fence
Handball if ever u've seen one Henry
You know all about that!— LJP (@LiamJohnPaul) October 2, 2016
It's unbelievable hearing Thierry Henry talk about handball.#BURARS #COYBIG
— Stephen Trappe (@TRAPPE11) October 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/Highbury_74/status/782635637820297216
Former Arsenal player and handball queen Thierry Henry doesn't see any problem with the goal, utterly shocking
— Nikki Davidson (@NikkiDcfc) October 2, 2016
Thierry Henry giving his professional opinion on getting away with a blatant handball on @SkySports
— Spurs Fan (@Tottenham_N17) October 2, 2016
Of course, there’s always one.
— Emperor Bumblewank (@CapableOfFlight) October 2, 2016
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