Max Dowman did something against Brighton that no other Arsenal player has managed all season
Arsenal secured their passage into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Brighton, and it was a night to remember for Max Dowman.
Dowman became Arsenal’s youngest ever starter, aged just 15, when he took to the field at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (October 29).
The teenager impressed during his fourth senior appearance for the club, utilising his low centre of gravity and fearlessness against Brighton.
Dowman recently agreed a scholarship agreement with the Gunners ahead of 2026, and he marked that news with a superb performance as Mikel Arteta watched on.
Max Dowman attempted nine dribbles against Brighton
Arsenal have a truly special talent on their hands in Dowman, who has already been compared to Wayne Rooney after breaking onto the scene as a teenager.
The academy star operated in Bukayo Saka’s usual right-wing position and caused nightmares for the opposition with his fleet-footed dribbling and incredible ball carrying.
| Max Dowman’s stats vs Brighton |
| 71 minutes played |
| 14/16 (88%) accurate passes |
| 34 touches |
| 4 fouls drawn |
| 9/14 ground duels won |
| 3 recoveries |
Dowman lasted 71 minutes before being replaced by Saka, and it was a full debut that will go down in history after attempting nine dribbles.
Most impressive thing about Max Dowman might be his relentlessness. Nine attempted dribbles tonight. That's the most by any Arsenal player in any game all season. And he only played 71 minutes. #afc
— Nick Wright (@nicholaspwright) October 29, 2025
As highlighted by journalist Nick Wright, nine attempted dribbles is the most achieved by an Arsenal player in any game all season, highlighting what a gifted talent he is.
The youngster didn’t just show class in possession, but he was also relentless without the ball, winning an impressive nine ground duels and truly staking a claim for a starting role in the quarter-final against Crystal Palace.
What Mikel Arteta said after Dowman’s full debut
Dowman’s world-beating potential has made him impossible to ignore, and Arteta deserves credit for slowly drip-feeding him minutes in a senior environment.
The Spanish tactician was unsurprisingly impressed with his performance against the Seagulls, labelling his dribbling ability as ‘something special’.
“A tiny smile, that’s what you get with him,” said Arteta when asked how Dowman reacted when he told him he was starting. “For him everything is natural, for him, everything is OK. It’s the way he plays and that’s the secret, that he doesn’t make a big fuss of it.
“He just does what he does best, which is to play football. To play football with a lot of courage and determination and today again, he has shown some incredible skill, some capacity to run past players at that level in the Premier League at 15. It’s definitely something special.”
Dowman will now hope to feature this weekend when Arsenal travel to Burnley in the Premier League.