03/14/26 03:12:00
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03/14 15:10 CDT Arsenal stays in control of title race as Dowman become
youngest ever Premier League scorer
Arsenal stays in control of title race as Dowman become youngest ever Premier
League scorer
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
Arsenal stayed in control of the Premier League title race with a 2-0 win over
Everton on Saturday, with 16-year-old Max Dowman's solo goal in stoppage time
making him the competition's youngest ever scorer.
In a dramatic finish at Emirates Stadium, Viktor Gyokeres scored in the 89th
minute before Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half after a corner
was cleared, dribbled around two players, and raced clear to tap into an empty
net. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was stranded upfield having gone up for
a corner.
It dealt a psychological blow to second-place Manchester City, which headed
into the first of two games in hand --- at West Ham later Saturday --- trailing
Arsenal by 10 points.
Dowman, who is still in school, came on in the second half for his third
Premier League appearance and also played a part in Gyokeres' goal.
It was his cross from the right that was missed by Everton goalkeeper Jordan
Pickford and struck the midriff of Arsenal substitute Piero Hincapie. The ball
bounced across the goalmouth and Gyokeres applied the finishing touch from
close range.
"He stays so calm and without fear every time he gets the ball," Gyokeres said
of Dowman. "He takes the right decision most of the time as well and with the
goal, he definitely took the right one."
In a breakthrough season for the English soccer prodigy, Dowman became the
second-youngest player --- behind Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri --- to feature
in the Premier League after making his debut against Leeds in August.
In November, he became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15
years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia
Prague.
Across London, Chelsea lost 1-0 to Newcastle thanks to an 18th-minute goal by
Anthony Gordon.
Chelsea stayed in fifth place but could be overtaken by Liverpool, which hosts
struggling Tottenham on Sunday.
Burnley draws and facing relegation
Burnley is running out of time and hope in the Premier League.
A 0-0 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday left next-to-last Burnley --- one
of the many U.S.-owned teams in England's top division --- eight points from
safety with just eight games remaining this season and facing an immediate
return to the Championship.
Burnley has won just four of its 30 league games.
Bizarre winner for Brighton
Sunderland, another promoted team, appears to be safe from relegation but is
limping toward the end of the season after a third straight home loss -- this
time to Brighton 1-0.
The only goal was a bizarre one, with Yankuba Minteh's mis-hit cross from the
byline somehow squeezing in at the near post in the 58th minute at the Stadium
of Light.
Sunderland hadn't lost at home until a defeat to Liverpool on Feb. 11. Since
then, it has lost to Fulham and now Brighton.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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