Thierry Henry faces final curtain after New England beat New York Red Bulls As the final whistle blew and most of his New York team-mates were slumping to the turf in disappointment, Thierry Henry circled among New England staff and players, offering businesslike handshakes. if this was to have been his last game for New York - and possibly the last of his career - he was gracious enough to leave the limelight to the victors. And New England were the victors - just. Coming in to the game holding a 2-1 lead from the road leg, the Revolution ended up having to come from behind twice, with two Charlie Davies headers, to get past a battling Red Bulls side. Having taken a first-half lead through Tim Cahill and then having seized a second, vital away goal through Peguy Luyindula, New York ultimately came up short in a stadium where they have had their fair share of frustration, and where a New England playoff record crowd of 32,698 packed in to watch their team make an MLS Cup final again. After an opening couple of minutes when the Revolution looked true to their promise to dominate the game, the home team found themselves on the back foot for long stretches of the first half, as Dax McCarty and Eric Alexander continued to have the better of the midfield battles and Luyindula continued his impressive playoff form by popping up all over the Revs half, instigating dangerous moves. In some ways, Luyindula's hustle was a proxy for the absent Bradley Wright-Phillips, who was suspended for the pointless yellow card picked up in the first leg. In his place, Tim Cahill provided an obvious physical threat but little of Wright-Phillips" speed. For much of the opening half-hour, New York struggled (partly from force of habit) to get early crosses in to put the Australian one on one with the opposing centre-backs. And then there was Henry. Playing perhaps his last ever professional game, on the artificial turf he detests, the Frenchman looked suitably cautious early on. Before the game, the expectation had been that any joy down his flank would come from isolating the Revs full-back Andrew Farrell, but while Henry got a couple of crosses off from wide, it would be from a tighter space that he would force the breakthrough. In the 26th minute, Ibrahim Sekagya stepped forward into the New England half and slid the ball forward for Henry, who had his back to goal on the edge of the Revs box, closely marked by Farrell. Henry pivoted and sent a perfect diagonal ball between the Revs back line and goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for Cahill to chase. As Jose Goncalves tried to force the New York striker off the ball, Cahill stuck a foot between the defender's legs to poke the ball home. New York continued to press, but there had been enough hints through the first half of what could happen with any lapse of concentration. In the 42nd minute they were punished. Chris Tierney took a New England corner short to Lee Nguyen, who pushed the ball back to him to make a better angle; his inswinging cross into the six-yard box was glanced home through a crowd of bodies by Davies. On the sidelines, New York coach Mike Petke exhaled hard, though in truth the task remained the same for his team - score another goal within 90 minutes. In the second half, New England started to press higher and move the ball about with more urgency, only for the balance of the tie to shift against them in the 52nd minute when Lloyd Sam's deep cross bounced off an unsighted Farrell and into the path of Luyindula, who spun and shot home for the second away goal. Despite this blow New England kept the pressure on and began to stretch New York. Nguyen and Bunbury worked some lovely interplay in the 64th minute that saw the latter backheel the ball into the path of the former in the box, only for his run to see him bounce off the imposing Jamison Olave. New England fans bayed for a penalty. Nguyen might have too, had he been able to catch his breath, but referee Baldomero Toledo was never likely to blow for one. Thierry Henry carries the ball past New England Revolution forward Teal Bunbury. Photograph: Winslow Townson/USA Today Sports New York went close again a couple of minutes later, as Henry flighted a perfect cross behind the defence for Cahill, but the Australian had checked his run to stay onside and though he caught the ball on the volley he couldn't keep it down. Henry turned and jogged back upfield shaking his head at the missed chance. He would soon be even more upset. In the 70th minute, Scott Caldwell stepped up from midfield to push the ball wide for Tierney, whose perfect cross was headed home, firmly, by Davies. The Revs were ahead on aggregate again and the stage was set for a dramatic finale that could no longer include extra time. The game got suitably stretched in the closing minutes as New York looked for the goal that would take them through, with the Revs clearly shutting up shop in the 84th minute as Davies was withdrawn for the midfielder Kelyn Rowe. Petke answered by taking off one of his centre-backs and bringing on Connor Lade, not long ago out on loan in the NASL with New York Cosmos. In the 90th minute, with New York direct and desperate, a high cross was headed only as far as Henry 25 yards out. A Hollywood ending beckoned, but his shot deflected tamely into Shuttleworth's hands. In stoppage time and with New York perhaps realizing the game had gone, Ambroise Oyongo and Sam were booked in a melee that took up precious seconds. Toledo blew his whistle and the stage was pushed on to the field for the Eastern Conference Championship trophy presentation. As red and blue confetti swirled in the air and New England contemplated a final against LA or Seattle next week, Henry was thanking the ensemble cast and exiting discreetly to face a tough decision. New England: Shuttleworth; Alston, Goncalves, Soares, Farrell; Caldwell, Jones; Tierney, Bunbury, Nguyen; Davies (Rowe, 84) New York: Robles; Eckersley, Olave, Sekagya (Lade, 86), Oyongo; McCarty, Alexander (Bover, 91); Sam, Luyindula, Henry; Cahill. Referee: Baldomero Toledo.