Mikel Arteta hailed his ‘game-changing’ Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman as he became the youngest-ever Premier League scorer to overcome Everton.
The game was meandering to a goalless draw before Dowman, who came on in the 75th minute, played an exquisite cross which Jordan Pickford misjudged. Viktor Gyokeres subsequently tapped the ball home.
And then in injury-time, with Pickford in the opposition box for a corner, the teenager skilfully evaded two defenders before running half the length of the pitch to score.
That made him the league’s youngest-ever scorer aged 16 years, 73 days, breaking a record set by Everton’s James Vaughan (16 years, 270 days) in 2005.
Arteta said: ‘I think he changed the game. Every time he got the ball, he made things happen. It looked like we were more of a threat. To do that at that age, in this context, with this pressure, it is just not normal.
‘Yesterday he was training in the last few days and I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him. Probably because he doesn’t seem to be fazed by the occasion or the moment or the context or the opponent.
Max Dowman became the youngest-ever Premier League scorer at 16 years, 73 days
Dowman dribbled past a challenge and ran half of the lenght of the pitch to an unguarded net
The teenager, who had played a key role in Arsenal’s opener, put the Gunners 2-0 up
‘He just plays so naturally. He makes decisions to make things happen and what he delivered was incredible.
‘Some of the things that he does, he does it against these defenders that are some of the best in the world. So he can do it against anybody else.
‘The doubt is always, “Yeah, but he’s 16 and the crowd and the pressure and expectations”, but he doesn’t seem to be fazing him very much and he had an incredible moment to all of us.’
When asked what he told Dowman before coming onto the pitch, Arteta said: ‘Go and do your thing and win us the game.
‘And the same with Viktor and to (Gabriel) Martinelli. I said these are the moments in the season when something special has to happen, and he (Dowman) knows he has the ability, which I have to give him the opportunity and he will deliver.’
It left the Spaniard feeling that it was a defining moment.
‘It is big because you put so much passion, effort, hours into this, which is our passion,’ he said.
‘When you turn around and you see the bench and those eyes just with that happiness, that joy that you’re almost not believing what has just happened.
Dowman’s goal sparked Arsenal celebrations with Mikel Arteta hailing him for changing the game
‘It makes all the sense in the world for what we do and the difficult moments that we go through. And the reaction of the bench as well.
‘When I see everybody so willing to and so generally happy about the team winning in the manner that we did it, it’s so special.’
David Moyes gave a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney his debut in 2002 and was asked to compare the two players.
‘I don’t know an awful lot about the boy to be honest,’ said Moyes. ‘I know plenty about Wayne. But he (Dowman) looks like a talented boy, for sure.’
