Max Dowman became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at 16 years and 73 days, but that wasn’t even the highlight of a cameo that will forever linger in the memory of fans around the world.
“People will say in years to come that I was there in their stadium that day when that kid scored that goal in THAT context”, said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after his team beat Everton 2-0 to stretch their lead at the Premier League summit.
It was a game Arsenal did not look like winning, after throwing all they had at Everton, who stood their ground for almost the entirety of the game, wearing out the Arsenal attackers, who couldn’t even carve out convincing chances.
Nevertheless, they survived thanks to their own resilient defending, a hallmark of the club in recent seasons, as the best chances went to Everton until later in the game.
Max Dowman’s moment of stardom
With the game still locked heading into the final 15 minutes, Gabriel Jesus was the only attacker left on the bench after Mikel Arteta had introduced Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli, but the Spanish tactician chose to trust in Dowman.
The teenager came on and completely changed the dynamics of Arsenal attacks, forcing Everton to fully retreat and get everyone behind the ball, with so much difficulty getting out of their own half.
He wasn’t at all shy for a 16-year-old. He was taking on opposition and taking the ball to them, then came a moment that the home fans had been waiting for with just one minute of normal time left to play.
Dowman whipped in a dangerous cross aimed for the far post, beating the outstretched hands of Jordan Pickford and into the path of Piero Hincapie, who used his body to guide the ball back across goal for an easy Gyokeres tap-in.
The goal sends the Emirates Stadium into eruption and that moment alone was enough to single out Dowman’s brilliance, but the night got better for the Hale Ender as he wrote his name into the Premier League folklore.
Everton committed everyone forward for a last-minute corner kick, but a poor delivery was easily cleared to the edge of the Arsenal box, where the youngster picked it up and seamlessly beat two opposing players before running the length of the pitch to put the ball into the back of the net.
Maybe the goal would have come sooner had he not picked up an injury that ruled him out of action for three months during a behind-closed-doors friendly win over Manchester United back in November, but he also picked the best time to deliver.
It was a night Max Dowman will never forget, but more so the Arsenal fans, especially as it took them nine points clear of Manchester City at the end of the night, but more importantly closer to the Premier League title they haven’t won in the youngster’s lifetime.
Dowman was also named the official Premier League player of the match, a testament to the brilliance of the game-changer who played just 15 minutes of normal time and bailed top professionals out of jail.
The late victory also had a psychological impact on Manchester City’s draw at West Ham United later on Saturday, and with seven games to go, Arsenal know that winning their next two league games, against Bournemouth and Manchester City, would make their coronation inevitable.
It was much more than history for Max Dowman. A lot of players have come and registered their names on this kind of impressive milestones but never star at the top level, but this kid is like no other, because he is here to dominate. Remember the name, Max Dowman.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
