Sixteen-year-old Max Dowman notched his first professional goal and became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history as Arsenal left it very late to beat Everton and stretch their lead at the top of the table to 10 points.
David Moyes' Toffees looked to be hanging on for a well-earned point at the Emirates Stadium, but Mikel Arteta’s Gunners did what champions do and found a way to win, substitute Dowman playing a big part in Viktor Gyokeres’ 89th-minute breakthrough before his moment of history.
Manchester City still have two games in hand, but this cathartic victory had all the feel of a defining moment in Arsenal’s quest for their first Premier League title in 22 years.
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Dwight McNeill twice went close to putting Everton ahead in the space of less than a minute during the first half, first seeing his close-range shot extraordinarily cut out by Riccardo Calafiori – who produced what could most accurately be described a scorpion block – then curling a sumptuous 25-yard attempt against the post.
Kai Havertz, Arsenal’s hero from the spot against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, was then convinced he’d won a penalty after going down under Michael Keane’s challenge, but referee Andy Madley waved away the Gunners’ vociferous appeals and was backed up by VAR.
But it was still Everton who looked the more likely to find the breakthrough, David Raya denying Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from the visitors’ latest well-built attack.
Arsenal – who saw Jurrien Timber hobble off to be replaced by Cristhian Mosquera – gave Everton a scare from their weapon of choice, Calafiori flicking Bukayo Saka’s corner across the face of goal, but no Gunners player was able to apply the finishing touch.
The hosts dominated the first-half shot count 13-5, but Everton were proving why they’ve been such a tough nut to crack away from home this season.
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Everton picked up where they left off after the break, Beto getting his shot off on the turn following a scramble from a corner but Raya showing outstanding reflexes to save with his left foot.
With that, the yearning for a home goal among the Emirates faithful became all the more palpable, and Arsenal’s sense of urgency seemed to creep up a notch in turn.
But there was a sense that Arsenal might need something spectacular to find a way through Everton’s exceptionally well-drilled defensive ranks – and Eberechi Eze almost delivered it.
The England international, who had sent a couple of efforts well off target earlier on, almost broke the deadlock in style, bending his left-footed shot beyond Pickford but just past the post.
Arsenal were finding themselves largely restricted to shooting from outside the box – they had 13 such attempts in total, almost twice as many as in any other Premier League game this term– and Eze was at it again with a ferocious effort which stung the palms of Pickford.
Dowman flashed over from a semi-promising position, before sending in a peach of a cross which tempted Pickford to try and claim the ball – only for the Everton goalkeeper to get caught in no man’s land, allowing Piero Hincapie to tee up Gyokeres for a simple open-goal finish.
But the best was yet to come for Arsenal and Dowman: with Everton throwing everyone forward, Pickford included, to try and snatch a last-gasp equaliser from a corner in the final minute of stoppage time, the Gunners broke away and their teenage sensation was able to stroll towards the empty goal and send the Emirates into veritable bedlam.
Man of the Match: Max Dowman (Arsenal)
You wouldn’t know that Dowman only turned 16 on New Year’s Eve, such was the coolness, calmness and collectedness with which he rose to the task after being sent on by Arteta in place of Martin Zubimendi with a quarter-of-an-hour to go and the score still 0-0.
At 16 years and 73 days, the Chelmsford-born winger breaks the Premier League youngest goalscorer record held for almost 20 years by James Vaughan – who netted for Everton against Crystal Palace aged 16 years and 270 days – and dislodges Cesc Fabregas as Arsenal's youngest-ever goalscorer by 104 days, 22-and-a-a-half years after the Spaniard opened his account in an EFL Cup tie against Wolves.
