Seven minutes, and Portman Road knew
Max Dowman nipped in to intercept, played the ball into Eberechi Eze, took the return and ran at Cedric Kipre. The defender went one way. Dowman went the other and drilled a low finish into the bottom corner. Seven minutes gone in his first appearance of the season.
The second arrived 98 seconds after half-time. He controlled a deflected pass from Martin Zubimendi, opened his body and steered it left-footed into the same corner. Arsenal beat Ipswich Town 4-2 on Tuesday night and walked into the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Dowman is 16. One other player that age has scored twice in a match for a Premier League club: Wayne Rooney, for Everton against Wrexham in the League Cup in October 2002.
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Four unused appearances, then this
Mikel Arteta had told him before kick-off that any minutes this season would have to be earned. Dowman had sat on the bench four times without coming on, and was playing for the under-21s on Saturday. Three days later he was starting at Portman Road.
“A joy to have him,” Arteta said afterwards. “He can deliver those actions effortlessly, I would say. That’s his biggest quality and defensively, his application, his capacity as well to sustain the actions, which is not easy.”
The manager already knows what is coming. “It’s not easy to contain the hype, I understand, but what we have to do is look after him. He’s 16 years old. You don’t see that in this league.”
Dowman holds the record as the youngest player to start a Premier League fixture, set last season against Crystal Palace. He also scored and set one up in a 2-0 win over Everton during Arsenal’s title campaign.
Six wins from six
Noni Madueke volleyed in the second goal inside 16 minutes and Mikel Merino made it four before the hour, his placed shot going in off the left post. Anis Mehmeti pulled one back from close range and Chuba Akpom added another in stoppage time. Neither changed the night.
Arsenal have won six in a row across all competitions to open the season. Arteta made nine changes for this one and the level did not drop.
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