Jay Emmanuel-Thomas used to witness first-hand the genius of Thierry Henry every day.
So when Nicky Devlin teed up the big English striker in the 16th minute of Saturday’s home clash with Hamilton, the former Arsenal youth product knew what to do next.
A goal reminiscent of the Frenchman’s wonder-strike for the Gunners against Manchester United in October 2000 saw Emmanuel-Thomas receive the ball with his back to goal, casually flick it up with his left foot before unleashing an unstoppable volley into the top corner to give the Lions the lead.
Livi would go on to seal a 2-1 victory and secure their place in the top six.
Scott Pittman netted the winner in the 36th minute after Accies’ Callum Smith had fired home from 25 yards on the half hour.
But JET’s moment of brilliance was the game’s main talking point.
He commented: “Thierry was one of my idols, especially being at Arsenal with him and seeing him in training every day but you never think you’re going to have the chance to replicate a goal as legendary as the one he scored against United.
“It just seemed to sit up perfectly for me to execute it.
“I was thinking about it as the ball was on its way to me – it was at the right speed, the defender was on the right side of me, so I was thinking that I could shift the ball up with the first touch.
“I know I was much closer than he was, but I felt if I caught it right the keeper would have no chance and as soon as I hit it I knew it was perfect.”
He added: “I was at Arsenal from when I was seven and that goal against United was one you’ll never, ever forget.
“That and the backheel he scored at Charlton are the two he scored at Arsenal that I’ll remember most.
“So now that I’ve scored my version of this one, maybe one day if the ball falls right I can manage the other one as well.
“If I’m replicating goals from one of the greatest players of all time, that can’t be bad.
“I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time around Henry and to get to talk to him a lot, to learn from him, both during his first spell at the club and when he came back later in his career.
“He was a great mentor, such a great person to speak to, someone who always had so much advice for younger players who wanted to play as a forward.
“He wasn’t just an everyday striker. He was a leader who took Arsenal to so many trophies. He was a great person to study close up.”
The victory brought about the end of a six game winless run from the Lions, which included defeat against St Johnstone in the Betfred Cup final and the 30-year-old admitted it had been a frustrating spell.
He commented: “We’d been waiting for this the past five or six games. We had a good week in training and spoke in the dressing room about how much we needed the three points – it’s a great feeling to get the job done and be secure in the top six.
“Now we can reset and focus on the five games after the split.
“It’s never great to lose a cup final and everyone reacts differently to it, but as a group it’s difficult to bounce back from a result like that.
“Watching them lift the trophy is mentally draining and it takes a while to get over.
“So it’s just nice after a couple of defeats to get back on it and put together such an important win.”
