The Arsenal academy graduate made Premier League history on Saturday evening as he ran through on goal in the seventh minute of added time before tapping in to an empty net after Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had gone up for a corner with the Gunners leading 1-0.
Just minutes prior to the astonishing moment, the teenager produced an outstanding cross for fellow substitutes Piero Hincapie and Viktor Gyokeres to combine before the Swede knocked the ball into the Everton net to give the league leaders what looked like at the time to be enough to snatch three crucial points in the title race.
“It was a phenomenal moment. We talked before the game to play with that relentless desire to win every action and to have the conviction that we were going to find a way to do it. The effort, the quality and the effort the players put in were sensational,” Arteta told the press post-match.
“In the end, it happened in a manner in which none of us expected, and it was one of the best moments that I think we have lived together at the Emirates.”
Dowman’s impact saw him become the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer, surpassing the 21-year-old record of Michael Vaughan in 2005.
Arteta insisted that his decision to bring Dowman on with his side labouring at 0-0 against a stern Everton team was simply a “gut feeling”.
Speaking in his press conference, Arteta revealed: “I had a gut feeling. Yesterday he was training, and in the last few days, I had a gut feeling that it was a moment for him (Dowman). Probably, it’s because he doesn’t seem to be fazed by the occasion, or the moment, or the context of the opponent. He just plays so naturally.
“He makes decisions to make things happen, and what he delivered was incredible.”
The decision to introduce a 16-year-old to a cauldron that was the Emirates last night is something many feel that Arteta is not capable of. Yet, when Dowman became the youngest ever goalscorer in Premier League history, he turned to his bench with delight.
“When you turn around and when you see the bench and those eyes with that happiness, that joy – you're almost not believing what has just happened. It makes all the sense in the world for what we do and the difficult moments that we go through,” said the Arsenal boss.
“When I see everybody so willing and so generally happy about the team winning and the manner that we did it, it’s so special.”
Arsenal, once again, struggled against a low block and could have been a couple of goals down by half-time after Dwight McNeil forced a miraculously improvised block from Riccardo Calafiori.
Ultimately, Arteta’s side won the match, sealing three valuable points, and remain on course for glory in all four competitions before Tuesday’s finely poised Champions League round of 16 second leg home tie with Bayer Leverkusen.
But the focus will inevitably be on Dowman. Only time will tell if that moment will live amongst the memories of fans as the pivotal one that landed Arsenal their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Manchester City would then go on to drop points in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium later that evening.
For now, you would have to say that Arsenal are the firm favourites for Premier League glory.