Henry in mood to complete Real upset

Thierry Henry's plea for "calm" after Arsenal's wonderful victory at Real Madrid's home was multi-purpose. It was about a job half-done, a recognition that for all his side's brilliance, and the brilliance of their tactics, they still hold just a slender advantage.

But it was also a response to the post-match pleas of his manager, Arsène Wenger, for him to sign that new contract - and the remarks of a salivating Barcelona vice-president, Ferran Soriano, as to what might happen if he did not. "Anyone would like him, including [us]," Soriano said.

In the build-up to Tuesday's Champions' League tie, Wenger, whose stock also of course rose further following the result at the club that has long coveted him, had conceded that a stellar contribution from Henry would only add to the demands for his captain's services. And the pressure on Arsenal to conclude a new deal. "I would like to take that gamble," Wenger laughed, recognising that a "big performance" from Henry was vital.

He got it. And how. Henry was everything Arsenal fans, and fans of football, could have hoped for - showing courage, leadership and devastating skill. The symbolism of him out-muscling the forlorn Ronaldo to set off on the run for the contest's only goal was clear. Henry was serene then, and he was as serene afterwards. "We must not get carried away," he said of the first-leg victory and the prospect of an unpredicted place in the quarter-finals. "It was indeed a great night and it's great to start the game at Highbury with this result but we all know that they have a great team and can turn things around."

On-field calmness has not always been a feature for Henry in a hitherto frustrating season. "I've seen so many things in my career and we need to stay focused," he said. "If we play the same type of game then it might be OK, but at the moment nothing has been done. Obviously it's a good result but as far as I'm concerned we're not there yet."

When asked to compare it to Arsenal's other great away victories, such as the 5-1 win at Internazionale and his hat-trick against Roma, Henry added: "It's the kind of thing you can keep in your memory when you retire, but the most important thing is to go through. It wouldn't make sense not to go through."

Of note was how the young players in Arsenal's team - most prominently Emmanuel Eboué and Cesc Fabregas - responded. "When you play in the European Cup away from home you must not be scared," Henry said. "Even under pressure, we were keeping the ball.

"It was a team effort. At some times and for some reason, in big games and big environments, it helps to show where we are, and the young players showed some great composure.

"The most important thing is that when you play in the Champions' League or any competition away from home , you have to play football. So many times, even under pressure, we were passing the ball and trying to keep the ball on the ground. That is why I have said so many times, that in good or bad moments, we need to play as a team. When you play as a team you can see individuals do their thing, every single one of them."

Henry now wants a similar collective effort in the return leg on 8 March to ensure all the hard work does not go to waste. "The result does not matter if we do not go through," Henry said.

"We need to keep calm and see what we can do at Highbury, but I believe we can do [it].

"We could have scored more goals in Madrid - but let's not be greedy," he added.

Arsenal's absence of fear was highlighted by Fredrik Ljungberg who also produced his best form for months. "In the Premiership we've had some problems with the physical game and in Europe there's not such a need for it," Ljungberg said. "We stood up and played good football again."

The Swede acknowledged, however, that the only concern was that Arsenal had not scored the further goals that their dominance merited. "But we mustn't be greedy and if you'd said we'd won at the Bernabeu then nobody would have believed you," he said.

Certainly not the Real Madrid players. Alvaro Mejia, who replaced the injured Jonathan Woodgate, appeared shell-shocked - especially by Henry whom he described as "their main man and one of the greats of Europe".

"We did everything to try and stop Henry," the 23-year-old central defender admitted. "We tried to push him, pull him and we tried to kick him but nothing worked. He was unstoppable. I've never seen anything like it. We tried to stop him by kicking him but he just came away still carrying the ball. He is so strong."

The England captain joined in with Mejia's eulogy. "Thierry Henry is playing just phenomenally at the moment. And with a team like that we're really going to have to play in London," David Beckham added.

We were bad but can go through, says Beckham

David Beckham admitted that Real Madrid were fortunate to lose by just one goal to Arsenal. "The fact that they only won 1-0 is a good thing for us," the midfielder said while claiming that he could tell after just "five minutes" that Real did not have "the confidence" to win.

"They [Arsenal] deserved it and I said in the build-up that if we didn't perform then we wouldn't win the game and that's the way it was," Beckham commented, describing his side's performance as "really bad".

"I don't know what happened," the England captain continued. "We have to stay upbeat but when we've been playing really well then to go to that level of performance is hard to accept."

It was the first time since his move to Spain in 2003 that Beckham had faced an English club side and although he was one of Real's better players his own performance was still disappointing. Beckham said the only bonus was that he avoided a booking and will be eligible for the second leg on 8 March.

"We have got the players, the individual ability and the skill to go there and win," Beckham said.

He confirmed that Jonathan Woodgate, substituted after just nine minutes, had "strained a hamstring". The defender is set to miss the next two weeks.

Beckham's team-mate Iker Casillas said: "The truth is that it could have been a lot worse. We are still convinced we can go through."

Back for the second leg?

SOL CAMPBELL Ankle injury two weeks ago. Still struggling

ASHLEY COLE Thigh injury, but came back in reserves on Tuesday. Should make squad

ROBIN VAN PERSIE Broken toe, but had hoped to play at Real on Tuesday