Viktor Gyökeres has been one of the names of this transfer window. After scoring countless goals and winning multiple domestic leagues and cups in Portugal with Sporting, both Arsenal and Manchester United had their eyes on him early on. But once Arsenal showed up with Champions League football, the choice became pretty easy.
Reports suggest Gyökeres didn’t exactly reject United but gave Arsenal first priority. That was enough for Gooners and their fans to kick off the banter.
A popular Arsenal fan account, @GDAFC (53.5k followers), summed up the fan hysteria with:
“If he nets at OT Game Week 1, I might break down in tears.”
Let’s just say all eyes will definitely be on the Swede on gameweek 1, where United hosts the Gunners at Old Trafford for the upcoming 25/26 season, which now looks to be an even more feisty opening day fixture given the transfer drama between the two clubs.
Moments after this original tweet mentioning Gyokeres scoring at Old Trafford, Arsenal fans resurrected a legendary GIF of Thierry Henry—not of him celebrating wildly, but of him walking calmly, almost arrogantly, while staring into the Stretford End at Old Trafford. The vibe? Total dominance. Aura. Control.
Bitta this in front of the stretford end >>>>>>> pic.twitter.com/5oCxwkuUj0
— j (@jcnaid) July 6, 2025
One fan quoted the image, saying:
“Bitta this in front of the Stretford End >>>”
This tweet implied, “Imagine Gyökeres doing what Henry once did to United—right in front of their fans.” Another fan followed up with:
“The aura is actually insane.”
—referring to how Henry’s body language in the GIF screams swagger and dominance without saying a word.
Then came:
“Nah, TT was a sicko.”
(‘TT’ meaning Thierry Henry), showing just how mythical his United performances remain in Arsenal memory.
Another user dove into image aesthetics:
“Off the charts aura. If he wasn’t bald, he wouldn’t have the same feel.”
—referring to Henry’s shaved head at the time, almost tying his look to his legend.
And finally, a more reflective take:
“Has any Prem player had more aura?”
It was clear Arsenal fans were building a vision: Gyökeres scoring at Old Trafford on his debut, looking at the United end, channeling prime Henry energy.
Only issue? That clip had nothing to do with Manchester United.
This is where things unraveled and reality checked in for the Arsenal fans.
United fans weren’t having any of this. They pulled up the receipts of this very moment and the match it originated from and immediately shut it down.
Turns out, the GIF wasn’t from a match vs. United. It was from the 2002 FA Cup semi-final, where Arsenal played Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. Back then, Wembley was still under renovation, so neutral venues like Old Trafford and Villa Park were used.
Even better? Henry didn’t even score. The only goal in the game was an own goal by Gianluca Festa.
One United fan responded directly:
“Buddy, this was against Middlesbrough, and it also was an own goal. He didn’t even score. Don’t be stupid.”
Another clarified:
“Two things make this GIF so much funnier: they were playing Middlesbrough, not us. He didn’t even score. It was a Gianluca Festa own goal.”
To which another fan added the history:
“Most people don’t even know they played FA Cup semis at Old Trafford back then as neutral ground.”
More joined in, with one fan writing:
“LMAO I was thinking—didn’t his only goal at Old Trafford come in a 6-1 loss for them?”
This fan thought the GIF was from the moment when United beat Arsenal 6-1 at Old Trafford and Dwight Yorke scored a 22-minute hat trick, a season before in the 00/01 season, but it was actually the golden kit, which cemented the fact that it was indeed from the semifinal in the FA Cup vs. Middlesbrough, as in the 6-1 defeat, Arsenal were wearing the famous yellow away jersey and not the golden one.
But how did Arsenal play that day in that semifinal fixture vs. Middlesbrough?
So here’s what went down.
The match itself—Arsenal vs. Middlesbrough, FA Cup Semi-Final, April 2002, according to BBC’s match report—was far from a classic.
Arsenal edged it 1–0, but not thanks to their own brilliance. The winner came via an own goal from Gianluca Festa, who accidentally deflected a corner past Mark Schwarzer just before halftime.
The game also had its fair share of injuries as Sol Campbell limped off with a hamstring injury—an FA Cup semi-final curse for him and a major blow ahead of the World Cup.
Middlesbrough, under Steve McClaren, had actually started stronger in this game. They missed key chances in the first half and should have done better.
Arsenal, on the other hand, were sluggish. They only threatened in patches, and Sylvain Wiltord later missed a golden opportunity to seal it and make it 2-0, only to send the ball into orbit, over from point-blank range after a defensive error.
In truth, Arsenal were lucky to win. But they went through, and fans clung to that one moment—Henry’s slow walk and stare past the Stretford End, which became iconic enough to become a GIF years later.
The bottom line is Arsenal fans are hyping up a striker who picked them over United and backing it with a clip that has nothing to do with United.
But that’s football Twitter for you.
If Gyökeres actually scores at Old Trafford in August, that same Henry GIF will be everywhere again. Still wrongly used, still wrongly remembered—but now, part of the banter forever.
