Danny Welbeck revealed his delight at coming on to score the winner in a dramatic 2-1 win over Leicester on Sunday.
Welbeck, who had not kicked a ball this season, had been out for 10 months with various injuries before his introduction with a little over five minutes remaining.
And, after Theo Walcott had equalised Jamie Vardy's first half penalty, Welbeck headed home from a Mesut Ozil cross with just seconds remaining to re-ignite the Premier League title race. That goal cut Leicester's lead to two points in the table and provided a fairytale return for the England forward.
"It has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me, obviously missing a lot of football," Welbeck told Sky Sports. "It's the first time in my career that I've missed so much football in a period of time and it was a difficult moment. My family and friends were all here, they've known what I've been through. And to get that winning goal, it's a beautiful feeling."
Welbeck berated himself for missing an earlier opportunity when he scuffed a shot in the box shortly after coming on, but said Arsenal showed great spirit in never giving up.
"We kept pushing right until the end, we got chance after chance," he added. "I was a bit teed off that I didn't score on the first opportunity that came to me, and I just tried to make amends. Thankfully we got the goal at the end."
Walcott also came off the bench to score the equaliser, and said the win could be a turning point in the season.
"It's going to boost everyone without a doubt," Walcott said. "He [Welbeck] obviously hasn't played for nine months, and to get straight into the mix of it on such a big occasion, last kick of the game, it's special players who come out in games like this. That could be massive, massive."
Goalkeeper Petr Cech also told BBC Sport: "It has been a great day for him because he has been working hard to come back. We could see over the last couple of weeks that he was ready and sharp and confident in training. He really deserved it."