Departing hero Thierry Henry admitted he felt like an excited child after snatching a last-gasp victory at Sunderland.
The 34-year-old Frenchman marked the last Premier League appearance of his loan spell from the New York Red Bulls with an injury-time winner at the Stadium of Light to rekindle memories of his glory days with the Gunners.
Henry is eligible to play in Wednesday night's Champions League clash with AC Milan in Italy before heading back to the United States the following day.
He will do so having written a new chapter in his love affair with the club.
Henry told BBC Sport: "Just like a kid who came on and scored his first goal for the team he loves, that's exactly how I felt, really like a kid.
"When it comes to Arsenal, I always feel something special. At the end of the day, I was there at the end of the move, but I just want to help.
"That's all I wanted to do. I said it right from the start - I didn't want to be a hero or whatever, just like one of the guys in the dressing room."
Henry struck in the first minute of injury time, turning fellow substitute Andrey Arshavin's cross past keeper Simon Mignolet from close range to complete a dramatic fightback.
However, the striker played down his role.
He said: "When you come on as a sub, you want to help your team and change the game anyway, anyhow, and it did happen.
"A lot of the time, the guy who puts the ball in the back of the net will always get the credit, but the cross from Andrey Arshavin was perfect.
"You can always miss, but it was going to be very difficult to miss that one, so you have to give him a lot of credit for that one.
"I was just there at the right time and I finished it, so that's the most important thing.
"Obviously, I stayed a bit longer with the Arsenal fans at the end because I knew it was the last game for me in the Premier League, so I just wanted to say, 'Thanks, that's it'."
The Gunners dominated much of a game which might have turned on two incidents involving defender Per Mertesacker, whose fortunes swung markedly either side of half-time.
Mertesacker survived concerted penalty appeals when he controlled Jack Colback's 39th-minute cross on his chest and then saw the ball bounce up on to his arm with referee Neil Swarbrick unmoved.
However, with keeper Wojciech Szczesny having had to pull off two fine saves in quick succession to deny Craig Gardner, the German's luck deserted him when he caught his studs in the turf as he prepared to deal with a harmless 70th-minute through-ball and collapsed in agony.
Sunderland winger James McClean took full advantage, picking up possession and closing in on goal before drilling a left-foot shot across Szczesny and into the bottom corner.
Aaron Ramsey replaced Mertesacker as he left the field on a stretcher, and the deficit lasted just five minutes as the Wales international thumped home an equaliser off both posts.
But there was more to come and with the clock ticking into the 91st minute, Henry intervened to ensure his domestic involvement ended in style - for now at least.
Asked if there might be a possibility of another return next season, he replied: "You can never say never, right?
"You need to ask the boss. I don't know. I have always said it, it's kind of difficult for me to say no.
"If they need some help one day, I will be around."
Meanwhile, Mertesacker is due to undergo a scan on his damaged ankle, but manager Arsene Wenger has already ruled him out of the game in Milan.
He said: "We were unfortunate because Mertesacker told me he got like a shot in his ankle and couldn't move at all anymore.
"We are a bit worried about his ankle, I must say, because he goes home on crutches. He has done some ligament damage.
"How deep the damage is, we have to check tomorrow, but for sure, he is out for Wednesday."
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