Max Dowman made Premier League history as the youngest ever goalscorer in the competition on Saturday, but there are still regulations that the Arsenal teenager has to abide by
Max Dowman celebrates scoring Arsenal's late second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
Max Dowman became the Premier League's youngest goalscorer on Saturday. (Image: BEN STANSALL, AFP via Getty Images)
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Max Dowman might be a regular fixture in the Arsenal first-team setup nowadays, but Premier League rules mean that he's still required to get changed separately from his teammates. The 16- year-old wrapped up the Gunners' 2-0 victory against Everton on Saturday.
He carried the ball from one end of the pitch to the other before slotting into an empty net as the Toffees pressed for a late equaliser. The strike triggered jubilant celebrations throughout the Emirates Stadium.
The moment saw him etch his name into Premier League history, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the competition. Beating a record that sat for over 20 years.
The triumph over Everton, combined with Man City's 1-1 draw with West Ham a few hours later, saw Arsenal increase their advantage over Pep Guardiola 's side at the top of the table.
Whilst Dowman contributed significantly to the win, his age dictated that he had to change away from his colleagues before and after the fixture – even after his strike against Everton. Premier League regulations stipulate that anyone below the age of 18 must use separate changing facilities from the main squad for both training sessions and matches.
Although it doesn't affect Dowman and Arsenal, regulations equally mean that players under 18 cannot display betting sponsors on their shirts. With certain instances of young players wearing sponsorless kits for that very reason.
Despite his young age, Mikel Arteta called upon Dowman during the vital closing 15 minutes of the crucial fixture, with the scoreline still at 0-0 when he entered the pitch.
Max Dowman celebrates victory following the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium.
Max Dowman played a big part in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday. (Image: Alex Burstow, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Arsenal boss outlined why he made the call. "Probably in my head I had a gut feeling," he said.
"Yesterday he was training in the last few days and I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him.
"Probably because he doesn't seem to be faced 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: "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 and the doubt is always, yeah, but he's 16 and the crowd and the pressure and expectations but he doesn't seem to be fazing him very much about that and he had an incredible moment to all of us."
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