IPSWICH — Max Dowman delivered the latest statement of his precocious Arsenal career, scoring twice in a 4-2 win at Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup third round at Portman Road. The 16-year-old forward, making his first appearance of the season, stole the show on Tuesday night as Arsenal advanced, while £63.5m striker Viktor Gyokeres failed to take his opportunity.
Dowman needed just seven minutes to open the scoring. He stole possession in midfield, burst onto the ball ahead of Gyokeres, shimmyed past Cedric Kipre to leave the defender on the ground, then sent goalkeeper Christian Walton the wrong way with his weaker right foot. "That's something very natural for him," said Mikel Arteta. "He can deliver those actions effortlessly. I would say that's his biggest quality." His second was more precise — Martin Zubimendi's pass deflected off Jacob Greaves's left arm and Dowman, with little space inside the penalty area, adjusted with two quick touches to fire a composed left-footed shot that almost trickled over the line.
The display follows a patient wait for the Premier League's youngest scorer, who netted in a vital 2-0 home win over Everton during last season's title charge. Dowman has played six times since then, mostly in cameos, and been an unused substitute on four occasions this season. Last Saturday he played an hour for the U21s in their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea while the first team won at Sunderland, with Arteta warning he must earn his minutes. At Portman Road he also pressed Ipswich into the mistake that led to Noni Madueke's goal, work rate Arteta highlighted for a player who only completed his GCSEs in August. "Well, it depends. If he does what he does on the pitch, it's not easy, I understand," said Arteta. "But what we have to do is look after him. He's 16 years old. You don't see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context. But in this league, with the demands that the league [has], the players and everything put on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation. That's what we are trying to do."
"Defensively, his application, his capacity as well to sustain the actions, is not easy," added Arteta. "He's 16 years old, and he can create moments, but to consistently go through the game, every phase, with the demands that we put on them, to be able to do that is extremely difficult. And he's coping better and better and better." Arteta also praised 17-year-old centre-back Marli Salmon, who made only his second start for the first team with an assured performance. "Just having two 16-year-olds playing for Arsenal at this level against a Premier League team is so fulfilling," said Arteta. "Because I've been there and just to be able to contribute in somebody's career and dream, to be able to experience a game like tonight is just phenomenal. Medium and long term, we know that if they continue to develop in the way that they are, we're going to have two tremendous footballers for the future."
Dowman has benefited from Arsenal's stability under Arteta, allowing the club to nurture him without cycling through managers — on the same day 15-year-old JJ Gabriel asked to leave Manchester United. Arsenal fans will want more, but Arteta urged caution. "Everything is possible. The probability [of playing regularly] is probably extremely low because you don't see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game," he said. "Not only that, but the demands that you have to put your body through in the week to be able to be in good condition to compete, the amount of information, the challenges that you have to face. But he's doing it and he's doing it really well every time there's a chance."