Arsenal did not play well at Mansfield. They were dominated at the start of the game, pegged back in the second half and held on a little at the end. But no matter which period they were in, Max Dowman excelled.
The best player in Mikel Arteta’s team in their FA Cup fifth-round win was a 16-year-old – in a side which had senior internationals and first-team stars.
Even though Dowman is highly rated, such an “exceptional” performance – as Arteta put it after the game – was still a surprise.
This was his first senior appearance for Arsenal in 123 days – when he became the youngest Champions League player at Slavia Prague – after his first injury kept him away from the spotlight for four months. This was also an intense environment, with a raucous FA Cup crowd – but also a pitch that bobbled.
Dowman was also trying to make an impact during an unsettled Arsenal team, as injuries forced Arteta’s team to field a back three for the first time in four and a half years. The Arsenal manager joked his team only trained with that system once, for 10 minutes on Friday.
And yet, the youngster still delivered for his team. Despite the context, Dowman’s fearlessness was shown by him having the most shots and the most dribbles for Arsenal, despite playing in a congested central midfield role.
Dowman was clearly Arsenal’s best player on a day when they were not very good
He should have got on the scoresheet after a few minutes, when goalkeeper Liam Roberts gifted him the ball only for him to find the Mansfield goalkeeper.
After the League One side threatened to take a surprise lead, Dowman’s ability to create two chances in two minutes down the other end settled things down for Arsenal. After that, those experienced players he was named alongside kept on looking for Dowman, even in moments of difficulty, which tells you how much trust there is in this young talent.
His standout moment in the game came in the second half, when he was given the ball by Piero Hincapie in the centre circle despite having two Mansfield defenders around him.
A quick one-two with Christian Norgaard and he was away from them. Then he beat two more defenders to crack a shot which Roberts just tipped wide. He treated professional footballers like mannequins.
“Quality,” said Arteta about Dowman’s ball-carrying ability at Mansfield. “Because the ball is bouncing all over the place, and you have people on your back.
Dowman takes on George Abbott
“The way he handles the time, the space, the touches that he takes is just incredible. Especially at the speed that he delivers those actions. That tells you the talent that he has.”
But what also stood out about Dowman’s display is his defensive work. No outfield player managed more ball recoveries than the young midfielder, who also ranked top for duels won and possessions won in the defensive third.
With Norgaard needing support as the only defensive-minded midfielder in the Arsenal team, Dowman had the maturity and the mindset to give him that support.
Such a performance is not normal for a player of Dowman’s age. Fellow 16-year-old Marli Salmon is four months older than him but his mistake to allow Mansfield’s equaliser goes to show how easy it can go wrong for these youngsters.
But Dowman keeps ticking off the records. Youngest Arsenal starter, youngest Premier League player for Arsenal, youngest Champions League player full stop and now the Gunners’ youngest FA Cup player.
The issue around Dowman is: when will the next opportunity come? This week sees Arsenal enter the latter stages of the Champions League and with a Premier League title race, a Carabao Cup final and now the latter stages of the FA Cup to come, where can Arteta safely use the teenager to build on this display?
The answer is: whenever he likes. This performance at Mansfield has shown Dowman can be trusted in a tense situation.
