IT was a gut feeling that led Mikel Arteta to turn to Max Dowman and his “super strength” in Arsenal’s hour of need.
But the way the 16-year-old lit up the Emirates on Saturday night means Arteta will surely soon be picking Dowman because of what his head tells him.
There were so many remarkable elements to Dowman’s goal against Everton that secured a 2-0 victory and helped the Gunners go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Chief among them is the fact the forward became the youngest goalscorer in Prem history at the age of just 16 years and 73 days, beating the record set by the Toffees’ James Vaughan in April 2005 (16 years and 270 days).
Then there was the manner of the goal.
Deep into injury time, whizkid Dowman picked up the ball just outside his own penalty area, skipped past two Everton players and ran the length of the pitch to score into an empty net.
It was the moment the teenager announced himself to the world with the type of goal those in the club’s Hale End academy had seen him score before.
Temisan Williams, who coached Dowman when he was with Arsenal’s Under-12s, is one of them and believes this is just the start.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport, Williams said: “Carrying the ball has always been Max’s super strength from his academy days.
“He has always been able to carry the ball forward 40-50 yards.
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“And to see him doing it on the biggest stage is the reason why it’s so important to help young players to keep excelling at what they are best at.
“Max has the capabilities, as we have seen, to go to the highest level.”
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Dowman’s age and the nature of his goal were striking — but so was the fact Arteta threw him on.
Few would label Arsenal’s boss a gambler, yet with the match at 0-0 and the title race at a defining moment, he turned to a schoolboy.
The safe option would have been to bring on Gabriel Jesus, who is the only player in the Gunners squad to have won the Prem, helping Manchester City to lift four during his time at the Etihad.
But Arteta plumped for Dowman with his side desperately needing a spark. It was an inspired call.
Despite coming on with only 16 minutes to go, the winger finished the game tied first among Arsenal players for chances created from open play, dribbles completed and shots on target.
Arteta pleaded for calm when asked if Dowman would now be starting matches.
However, Saturday underlined how he has a role to play as the season enters crunch time. Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
It is 1-1 after last week’s match in Germany and, if the Gunners need a goal, Arteta should now have no fear about turning to Dowman.
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Even against City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley, unleashing Dowman does not feel like a wild call.
The talent is clearly there and he even supplied the cross that eventually led to Viktor Gyokeres opening the scoring against Everton.
Sweden forward Gyokeres, 27, said: “When you see him play, you don’t think that he’s 16.
“You don’t think about it when he has the ball with the composure and the confidence he plays with.
“It’s incredible. He makes a lot of right decisions when he comes on the pitch.”
Things have always come quickly for Dowman. At the age of four he was scouted by John Knight, who had him drafted into the Gunners’ pre-academy sessions.
The Dowman family have always been grateful to Knight and he was there when their lad signed his pre-contract agreement in January.
That deal was done ahead of Dowman penning professional terms when he turns 17 in December and you wonder how much more he could achieve before then.
Saturday was another record to add to his countless others, such as being the youngest-ever player to appear in the Champions League.
He is now also the youngest Gunner to find the net, beating Cesc Fabregas to that honour by 139 days.
One of the challenges for Arteta will be managing the hype around Dowman, although he himself has likened the kid to Lionel Messi.
Last week a mural of Dowman appeared outside the Emirates alongside one of legendary striker Dennis Bergkamp.
And he has also starred in an advert for adidas with another club icon, Ian Wright.
Arteta believes the network around Dowman will help.
He has a supportive family and big-name stars like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are mentoring him, too.
Arteta added: “His family and all the people at Hale End have raised him in such an incredible way.
“One thing is to raise a talent, another is to raise a person with such a personality and charisma to play a game with that stature in the manner that he’s done it.
“For many years, we will remember we were at the Emirates that night when that 16-year-old scored in such an important game when we were trying to win the title.”
