Chelsea legend John Terry praised Arsenal's 16-year-old Max Dowman, likening his dribbling to Lionel Messi's after the teenager became the Premier League's youngest goalscorer. Dowman starred in Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium. Manager Mikel Arteta highlighted the youngster's fearless mentality.
Arsenal secured a 2-0 win against Everton at the Emirates Stadium, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 10 points. The match, played on Saturday, featured a standout performance from 16-year-old substitute Max Dowman, who entered with 16 minutes remaining and transformed the game in the closing stages. His cross led to Viktor Gyokeres' opening goal in the 89th minute, and Dowman then scored himself in injury time with a solo effort, nodding the ball past Vitalii Mykolenko and outmaneuvering Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. At 16 years and 72 days old, Dowman set a new record as the youngest player to score in the Premier League. Chelsea's former captain John Terry, who had seen Dowman play against Chelsea's academy side a year earlier, was full of praise in a post-match TikTok video. > “Max Dowman, what a player by the way, 16 years of age, absolutely incredible,” Terry said. “I watched him play against Chelsea about a year ago and I’ve not seen anyone glide past people like this man does, other than Messi. That’s a big, big comparison but this man is a proper talent and will play a big part in Arsenal’s future and also England as well.” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta explained his decision to bring on Dowman, citing a 'gut feeling' after recent training sessions. > “Yesterday he was training and in the last few days and I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him. Probably because he doesn’t seem to be fazed by the occasion or the moment or the context or the opponent. He just plays so naturally... I’ve seen a lot of players with talent but at 16, very few that can cope with that level of demand,” Arteta said.
