There was a lot to celebrate for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. A 5-0 rout of Leeds United, two goals for new signing Viktor Gyokeres, and two more for unsung hero Jurrien Timber.
But the loudest cheers of the day arrived deep into the second half. The first, in the 64th minute, came when Max Dowman replaced Noni Madueke, and the second came in stoppage time when Dowman, aged 15, jinked his way into the box and won his side a penalty.
Dowman's talent has been a poorly guarded secret at Arsenal for some time, and fans have been restless to see the youngster unleashed. For context, Dowman will be back at school on Monday morning and will sit his GCSEs next summer.
Saturday's bright cameo suggested the hype is real, and while insisting that he will “protect” the club's latest prodigy, boss Mikel Arteta says he won't hesitate to use him again when the time is right.
“This is what we see every single day in training,” Arteta told the BBC when asked about the late penalty incident, when Dowman drove at Leeds left back Gabriel Gudmundsson before drawing a foul from the panicked Swede.
“We gathered the information about how he handles certain situations, in terms of training, being in the squad and not being selected afterwards in Manchester [against United], coming on the bench and feeling ready.
“Again, big compliments to his family. I think they raised a kid with a level of maturity, stability and hunger that is very difficult to see.
“And to the academy – Per [Mertesacker] and all the coaches and everybody that has been involved in that journey.
“Because there is a kid here that has zero hesitation and is so convinced that at 15 he can go and deliver, which I have never witnessed in my life.
“For us he brings joy, he brings emotion and something else that makes our jobs so great.”
At 15 years and 234 days old, Dowman has now become the second youngest player to play for the club – and second youngest in Premier League history – behind his teammate Ethan Nwaneri, who made his debut at 15 years 181 days in September 2022 against Brentford.
From shining in Dubai to a senior debut
Interest in Dowman's progress accelerated when he was taken on the club's January warm weather training camp in Dubai.
He was just 14 at the time but reportedly held his own alongside seasoned first-team regulars.
Dowman is used to being pitched in with older players, having featured three years above his age group when playing for the Under-18s at Arsenal.
Last season he flourished as he scored 19 goals and provided five assists in 23 games.
He also played for England Under-17s in the European Championship over the summer and became the competition's youngest scorer when he netted in a win over the Czech Republic.
“I think everyone can see the potential he has,” Dutch defender Timber said after the win over Leeds.
“Playing against grown men. He is a joy to watch, for the crowd too he is a joy to watch. Hopefully, he will have many amazing years here.”
Early injuries concern Arteta
With injuries now confirmed for the Arsenal trio of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, there could be more Premier League minutes for Dowman in the near future.
Saka, who grabbed the second goal against Leeds in first-half stoppage time, was replaced in the 53rd minute with a hamstring problem.
The England international was ruled out for three-and-half months last season after he was forced to have surgery on his right hamstring.
Saka pulled up before going down and clutching his left hamstring when the second half was just six minutes old.
Odegaard fell awkwardly on his right shoulder early on and never fully recovered. Havertz is also facing a spell out with a knee injury – how long the Germany international will be sidelined for remains unclear.
Arteta said: “Those are the negatives of the day. Martin felt something in his shoulder when he landed. We don’t know. We’ll have to scan him tomorrow and understand a bit better.
“And Bukayo, while he was running with the ball, carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender, he felt something in his hamstring while he was sprinting. That’s never a good sign.
“We’ll have to wait and speak to the doctors. But he’s had these injuries before. And he knows exactly the feeling of that.
“We are two weeks in and we have already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo. So it tells you how well-equipped you have to be in this league to manage and to maintain the level that we want.”
Dowman's emergence and the capture of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace should help at least partially offset the loss of key men so early in the Gunners' campaign. Arsenal visit champions Liverpool next weekend.
