Arsenal stayed in control of the Premier League title race with a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, with 16-year-old Max Dowman’s solo goal in stoppage time making him the competition’s youngest ever scorer.
In a dramatic finish at Emirates Stadium, Viktor Gyokeres scored in the 89th minute before Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half after a corner was cleared, dribbled around two players, and raced clear to tap into an empty net. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was stranded upfield having gone up for a corner.
It dealt a psychological blow to second-place Manchester City, which headed into the first of two games in hand — at West Ham later Saturday — trailing Arsenal by 10 points.
Dowman, who is still in school, came on in the second half for his third Premier League appearance and also played a part in Gyokeres’ goal.
It was his cross from the right that was missed by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and struck the midriff of Arsenal substitute Piero Hincapie. The ball bounced across the goalmouth and Gyokeres applied the finishing touch from close range.
“He stays so calm and without fear every time he gets the ball,” Gyokeres said of Dowman. “He takes the right decision most of the time as well and with the goal, he definitely took the right one.”
In a breakthrough season for the English soccer prodigy, Dowman became the second-youngest player — behind Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri — to feature in the Premier League after making his debut against Leeds in August.
In November, he became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15 years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague.
Across London, Chelsea lost 1-0 to Newcastle thanks to an 18th-minute goal by Anthony Gordon.
Chelsea stayed in fifth place but could be overtaken by Liverpool, which hosts struggling Tottenham on Sunday.
Burnley is running out of time and hope in the Premier League.
A 0-0 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday left next-to-last Burnley — one of the many U.S.-owned teams in England’s top division — eight points from safety with just eight games remaining this season and facing an immediate return to the Championship.
Burnley has won just four of its 30 league games.
Sunderland, another promoted team, appears to be safe from relegation but is limping toward the end of the season after a third straight home loss – this time to Brighton 1-0.
The only goal was a bizarre one, with Yankuba Minteh’s mis-hit cross from the byline somehow squeezing in at the near post in the 58th minute at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland hadn’t lost at home until a defeat to Liverpool on Feb. 11. Since then, it has lost to Fulham and now Brighton. (JapanToday)
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