As Arsenal fans danced their way out of the Emirates, 16-year-old Max Dowman’s name ringing out into the evening air, the sense of optimism was hard to ignore. Even before City dropped more points at West Ham, the 2-0 win over Everton already felt like a significant step towards a first league title in 22 years.
The Hollywood ending only added to the mood. Whatever happens between now and the end of May, it was a night to remember. Arshavin against Barcelona, Henry versus Leeds, Welbeck downing Leicester, Nelson’s late, late rocket to beat Bournemouth. This win was cut from the same cloth.
When Dowman rolled the ball into an empty net, the end point of a balletic charge the length of the pitch, before racing to the corner flag to be mobbed by teammates and the Block 6 faithful, Mikel Arteta was sprinting up and down the touchline, unsure where to direct his celebrations. He is an emotional man at the best of times, but this felt different. Pure ecstasy. A release of everything that had built up over 90 tense minutes.
Little wonder he described it afterwards as “one of the best moments that we lived together at the Emirates.”
“For me, it felt like 45 seconds. I think it was really special because you could sense that he was building up, building up, and you see there’s no goalie there, it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, and everybody was lifting. It was incredible. It was so loud, so energetic. What a moment.”
It turns out the seeds for it had been planted in Friday’s training session. Asked why he felt Dowman, rather than a more experienced player, was the right option when he needed a goal, the manager explained:
“Yesterday he was training, and in the last few days, I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him.
“Probably 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.”
He added: “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. The doubt is always that he’s 16, the crowd, the pressure and expectation, but he doesn’t seem to be fazed very much by that, and he had an incredible moment for all of us.”
With that in mind, Arteta’s instructions on the touchline were straightforward.
“Go and do your thing and win us the game, and the same with Viktor and Martinelli.
“I said these are the moments in the season when something special has to happen. He knows he has the ability; we just have to give him the opportunity and he will deliver.”
If Arteta rolled a six with Dowman, his other late changes were similarly impactful. Piero Hincapie played his part in the breakthrough, crotching [not sure that’s a word, but who cares?] the ball to Viktor Gyokeres, who broke Everton’s resistance with the easiest goal of his career.
On the impact of his substitutes, Arteta said: “All of them – Gabi [Martinelli], Mosquera had to come in when Jurrien was out. I think it’s been the theme of the season.
“I think the impact of the finishers that the players have played is the reason why we are here, basically. That says a lot about the people that we have in the dressing room because sometimes my decision, maybe they’re not right or they’re not fair, they take it in the right way with only one objective, which is to help the team to win.
“It’s been incredible the last couple of months. It’s been sensational. We are in every competition, and we are competing in every single game like it’s the last one.
“Some days we’ll be better, some other times exceptional, some other times not that good. But that relentless desire to win that I feel in the team is just one of the best things that, in my opinion, this team has.”
For Dowman, this was a moment every academy kid dreams about. For the Emirates, it was the kind of ending that sends people home believing something special might actually be brewing.