But the game ended on a sour note for Arsenal when Abou Diaby was stretchered off with a bad ankle injury following a rash tackle by Sunderland substitute Dan Smith.
The 28th defeat of the season means Sunderland will finish with the lowest ever number of Premiership points and face another unwanted record of going an entire season without a home win unless they can overcome Fulham on Thursday night.
Former Sunderland favourite Niall Quinn, who is leading a consortium to take control of the club, witnessed at first hand the size of his task if there is to be a quick fix to a club floundering after just one season back in the top flight.
Sunderland were dealt a pre-match blow when Julio Arca and Liam Lawrence failed to recover from injury knocks, and with Justin Hoyte ineligible to face his parent club, the Black Cats lacked experience on the substitutes bench.
Arsenal made five changes to the side that qualified for the final of the Champions League. Mathieu Flamini, Alex Hleb, Gilberto, Fredrik Ljungberg and Jose Antonio Reyes were replaced by Diaby, Robert Pires, Alex Song, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Eboue while Ashley Cole was on the bench following a long lay-off with a stress fracture of the right foot.
But the Gunners made light work of the changes, storming into a three-goal interval lead with Henry involved in all of the goals as the Black Cats simply disintegrated under the onslaught.
There was not much to choose between the sides until midway through the first period when Arsenal were gifted a 27th-minute lead. Jon Stead conceded a free-kick wide on the left, and when Henry curled the set-piece into the middle, Danny Collins headed past his own goalkeeper.
Kevin Kyle had had a header saved by Jens Lehman and then fired a drive just past the upright when sent clear and then the German keeper was lucky to escape unpunished when he dropped the ball from a Dean Whitehead free-kick.
Arsenal, however, always carried more threat and penetration and confirmed their superiority with two further goals in a three-minute spell just before the interval.
Henry cleverly played in Cesc Fabregas in the 40th minute for the Spanish international to easily beat Kelvin Davis from close range. Three minutes later Whitehead was harshly penalised for handball and Henry somehow squeezed the free-kick past the wall and inside the post to the dismay of the Sunderland fans.
Kyle was twice close to reducing the deficit on the resumption, shooting straight at Lehmann before being denied by the goalkeeper's astonishing one-handed save after substitute Anthony Le Tallec had robbed Sol Campbell on the byline.
Lehmann was lucky not to be punished when he tangled with Kyle and Chris Brown in the 63rd minute and was subsequently barracked for the rest of the game as Arsenal clearly took their foot off the pedal.
Henry, however, almost added a fourth in the 68th minute when his shot on the turn was pushed against the upright by Davis who gratefully grabbed the rebound.
The Frenchman was given a standing ovation when he departed three minutes later with the crowd shouting "Henry for Sunderland'' - but that is only wishful thinking on the part of Sunderland supporters.
Arsenal substitute Robin van Persie missed a great chance to increase the lead in the 79th minute and then, in injury time, Smith's crude challenge on Diaby ruined an otherwise stroll in the park for the Champions League finalists.