Max Dowman Shatters Record as Arsenal’s Youngest Starter

Arsenal’s Max Dowman made history on Wednesday by becoming the club’s youngest ever starter at the age of just **15 years and 302 days**. His remarkable achievement took place during a **2-0 victory** over Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup, where his performance drew praise from manager **Mikel Arteta**.

Dowman has been part of Arsenal since 2015 and previously made his senior debut off the bench earlier this season. With this latest achievement, he surpassed the record held by **Jack Porter**, who started for Arsenal at **16 years and 72 days** old in the previous year’s League Cup.

In the match against Brighton, Dowman showcased his talent by completing the most dribbles and winning the highest number of fouls and duels among players on the pitch. His efforts contributed to Arsenal’s **eighth consecutive victory** across all competitions.

Arteta expressed his admiration for the young player, stating, “A tiny smile, that’s what you get with him… For him, everything is natural, for him, everything is OK.” He emphasized Dowman’s ability to perform under pressure, noting the courage and determination he displayed. “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,” Arteta added.

In addition to Dowman, **Andre Harriman-Annous**, aged **17**, also made his full debut in the match. Arteta made ten changes to the starting line-up following Arsenal’s **1-0 win** against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. He reflected on the significance of providing young players with opportunities, saying, “That feeling of giving the opportunity to somebody and fulfilling a dream is unique, and I’m very happy that things turned out to be very positive.”

Arsenal will look to maintain their winning streak as they prepare to face **Burnley** on Saturday. The club’s commitment to nurturing young talent is evident as they continue to integrate promising players like Dowman into their senior squad.