Szczesny: Henry goal against Sunderland crucial for Arsenal

The Gunners goalkeeper believes that the French striker's loan success marked a turning point in their season, aiding in their eventual push for Champions League qualification

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has praised the positive impact of club legend Thierry Henry during a critical time in the Gunners' Premier League season.

The Frenchman briefly returned to his old hunting ground on loan from New York Red Bulls in the winter and scored key goals in his first and last matches against Leeds United and Sunderland.

"If you’re talking about turning points you have to give credit to one man, and I mean Thierry. When he came here, wow, it was something different," Szczesny told the club's official website.

"It was priceless to have someone around who’s been here, done it and was the best player in the world at one point.

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"When he scored the winner against Leeds, the buzz around the stadium was the biggest I've ever felt – and I think it had a big impact on the players too. Going into the dressing room afterwards and seeing everyone so happy for Thierry was a really big moment.

"Then he scored the winner at Sunderland in his final game for us. That was the one that turned the season around in my opinion, coming back from 1-0 down and Thierry scoring at the end. Things like that give you confidence and simply put you in a better mood."

Following victory away at Sunderland, Arsenal went on to win their next five Premier League matches, including a memorable triumph against arch rivals Tottenham, in which they came from two goals down to win 5-2.

And the Pole suggested that his final strike for Arsene Wenger's side had a big psychological effect.

He continued: "It's not something you think about but subconsciously you feel better, you want to work hard, you can’t wait for the next game to come.

"If you're in that kind of mindset, thinking 'When’s the next game? I want to play now!' then when the time comes you're in the right frame of mind to win it.

"We went on a great run and from being behind Tottenham we went in front of them. I can't say it made our season successful, because I don't count it as a success without winning a trophy, but it definitely saved it a little bit."