Arsenal 1-1 New York Red Bulls: Thierry Henry lifts Emirates Cup for MLS side after Bartley own goal cancels out Van Persie strike

The Red Bulls were led out by former Gunners hero Thierry Henry to a rapturous welcome, but the fans’ new idol, Jack Wilshere, had to withdraw after  five minutes having suffered a minor ankle knock when jumping for a header.

The first half was a slow affair, Arsenal inevitably with the greater possession but not in any hurry to capitalise on it, waiting patiently for an opportunity to break through the Red Bulls defence, who sat back and left Henry a little isolated on his own up front.

Aaron Ramsey proved perhaps the Gunners’ most likely threat early on; he was first played through by Gervinho, and, later, might have put one away after a great through pass from van Persie put him one-on-one with Rost, but he was harshly called offside and scuffed the shot.

A moment later Henry forced Szczesny into a solid save from a direct free-kick, as the game began to grow more open, Ramsey scooping a shot over the bar under pressure from Ream.

Arsenal arguably should have had a penalty when Gervinho was brought down in the area a little clumsily by Albright just before the half-hour mark, but the referee Kevin Friend was not interested and the tempo dropped further than ever.

But out of nowhere, just minutes from the break, Rosicky swung in a free-kick finding van Persie in space to nod in a simple headed goal, with Arsenal, for a change, the beneficiaries of poor set-piece marking.

And 1-0 it was at half-time, though immediately after the opener Gervinho should have put a second away, instead allowing Rost to close him down having been set loose in the area by Rosicky.

van Persie had a chance to liven up a sleepy second half with a second goal when Afobe’s run to the left byline nearly found him in space, but Ream arrived just in time to cut him off.

New York could not muster a serious counterattack and Arsenal continued to probe quietly, with van Persie looking the most likely to conjure a second before his withdrawal after 65 minutes.

Shortly after, on a rare foray forward for the Red Bulls, Henry tried to angle a shot across Szczesny cutting inside from the left, but it was an easy stop for the Polish keeper.

With van Persie and Gervinho off the pitch the inspiration was largely out of the game and both sides seemed content to settle for a 1-0 result in a tranquil second period.

But suddenly, with six minutes remaining, the Red Bulls burst into the box and Gunners substitute Kyle Bartley managed to turn the ball into his own net at close range, handing New York an undeserved equaliser.