Max Dowman continued his rapid rise through the Arsenal ranks with a brace at Portman Road, inspiring a heavily rotated Gunners side to a 4-2 win over Ipswich Town and a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal’s Rotated Side Barely Breaks Stride
Mikel Arteta made nine changes to the team that won at Sunderland in the Gunners’ last outing, and the reshuffled side barely skipped a beat. With Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Cristian Mosquera, and Piero Hincapie all unavailable through injury or squad management, Arsenal fielded a makeshift back four — 17-year-old Marli Salmon at centre-back, flanked by midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly deployed as full-backs.
Ipswich saw plenty of the ball and pushed into promising areas at times, but couldn’t find a way past a defense that held firm despite its unfamiliar shape. At the other end, Arsenal made their chances count.
The result offers some early relief after last season’s Carabao Cup final ended in a 2-0 defeat that derailed Arsenal’s quadruple ambitions. This year’s run is off to a far more encouraging start.
Dowman Announces Himself Early
Dowman needed just seven minutes to make his mark, in what was his first senior appearance of the season. He danced through midfield, beat Ipswich defender Cedric Kipre with a slick piece of skill, went one-on-one with goalkeeper Christian Walton, and slotted home a precise finish to put Arsenal 1-0 up.
Ipswich were then caught out attempting to play out from the back, undone by Bruno Guimaraes’ ferocious press. The loose ball fell to Mikel Merino, who chipped a delightful pass through for Noni Madueke to power home and make it 2-0. Despite starting to show more life as the half wore on, Ipswich went into the break without a single shot on target.
Dowman’s Second Goal Makes History
Arsenal delivered another blow just two minutes into the second half. Dowman met a pass from Zubimendi and finished from a tight angle to make it 3-0 — his second goal of the night, and one that etched his name into the record books.
At 16 years and 258 days old, Dowman became the second-youngest player to ever score for Arsenal in League Cup history, according to Opta — a list made up entirely of Arsenal players. He sits behind only Cesc Fabregas, who scored against Wolverhampton at 16 years and 212 days in 2003, and ahead of Jack Wilshere, who scored against Sheffield United at 16 years and 266 days in 2008.
The brace itself carries its own historic weight: Dowman became just the second 16-year-old to score twice in a single match for a Premier League club across all competitions, matching a feat Wayne Rooney achieved for Everton against Wrexham in the League Cup back in October 2002.
Ipswich Pull Two Back, But It’s Not Enough
Mikel Merino added a fourth for Arsenal shortly after, putting the game out of reach. Ipswich did manage a respectable response in the closing stages, with Anis Mehmeti and Chuba Akpom each finding the net to make the final score 4-2. But by then, the damage had already been done, and Arsenal cruised into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
