Sixteen-year-old Max Dowman etched his name into Premier League history on Saturday evening, becoming the youngest ever scorer in the competition's history as Arsenal claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
The teenager, returning from injury, came off the bench in the 62nd minute and was instrumental in both goals during a dramatic stoppage-time finish. His cross in the 89th minute caused chaos in the Everton box — Jordan Pickford charged out recklessly, missed the ball, and it deflected off Piero Hincapie into the path of Viktor Gyökeres who tapped home the opener.
Then, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Everton sent Pickford up for a corner in a desperate attempt to equalise. Arsenal cleared, the ball fell to Dowman 75 yards from goal, and the teenager simply ran — leaving every Everton player trailing in his wake — before rolling the ball into an empty net and breaking a record that had stood for over 20 years.
The previous record was held by James Vaughan, who scored for Everton aged 16 years and 271 days back in 2005. Dowman's landmark goal sent the Emirates into raptures and prompted an ecstatic leap from manager Mikel Arteta on the touchline.
The result, combined with Manchester City's 1-1 draw at West Ham, extended Arsenal's lead at the top to nine points with nine games remaining. A Premier League title that has been 22 years in the making is now within touching distance for Arteta's side.
