Mikel Arteta revealed it was a “gut feeling” which led him to introduce Max Dowman, the Premier League’s newly-annointed youngest ever goalscorer, in their stunning last-gasp 2-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
Dowman’s delivery was critical to Viktor Gyokeres’ 89th-minute breakthrough, then, at 16 years and 73 days, signed his name in the history books when he added an empty-net cushion in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time.
His boss sprinted along the touchline before leaping in the air, and still seemed in disbelief when he addressed the pivotal substitutions which brought his side one step closer to a first Premier League title in 22 years, calling the result “one of the best moments we lived together at the Emirates”.
“(It wasn’t something) in my head, it was a gut feeling,” said Arteta, who introduced Dowman for Martin Zubimendi in a double change in the 74th minute.
“Yesterday he was training, and the last few days I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him. Probably it’s 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.
“He makes decisions to make things happen, and what he delivered was incredible.”
It was Dowman’s cross quickly after an Arsenal throw-in which helped ensured Manchester City would not be able to gain any additional ground in Saturday’s late kick-off. It outsmarted Jordan Pickford, and Piero Hincapie got a touch before the ball fell favourably for Gyokeres to apply the finish into the open net.
Everton then pulled Pickford forward for a late stoppage-time corner, and the visitors were helpless when Dowman claimed the ball inside his own half and dodged two defenders before firing home his landmark goal.
Arteta added: “(I told Dowman) ‘Go and do your thing and win us the game’. And the same with Viktor and to (Gabriel) Martinelli. I said these are the moments in the season when something special has to happen, and he knows he has the ability, which I have to give him the opportunity, and he will deliver.
“You just have to see him train every single day, honestly. Some of the things that he does, he does it against these defenders that are some of the best in the world. So he can do it against anybody else and the doubt is always, yeah, but he’s 16 and the crowd and the pressure and expectations, but it doesn’t seem to be fazing him very much about that and he had an incredible moment to all of us.”
It was a frustrating ending for an Everton side who had the better of the first-half chances, including Dwight McNeil smacking the woodwork, and with minutes remaining they still looked likely to walk away with at least a point from their trip to north London.
“I’m totally gutted,” said Toffees boss David Moyes. “We’d done such a good job for long periods of the game, and just now we missed out, but no, no disappointment performance-wise, with the way the players went about their effort, nothing. We just missed out in the last few minutes.”
Moyes insisted he was paying more attention to Everton than to the history-making teenager, who ensured they could not salvage a point.
He added: “I wasn’t really looking at him, I was watching my own players, to be honest.”
