3 standouts from Arsenal's 4-2 Carabao Cup win over Ipswich Town
Mikel Arteta's fledglings took the opportunity to shine and ran with it to help Arsenal dismantle Ipswich Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. Impish industry from reclassified teenage wing wizard Max Dowman wasn't the only the highlight from the Gunners' 4-2 victory at Portman Road.
Arsenal also had room for a star in the making at the back. Dowman's fellow nascent first-teamer Marli Salmon was all class and composure at the heart of a defence Arteta wisely reshuffled for duty in the lesser of the two domestic cups on September 15.
Salmon and Dowman offered strong hints about the next wave of talent for the Premier League champions, but there was a timely strong showing from a senior player. A mercurial attacker who frustrates as often as he wows onlookers, but who was at his most direct and ruthlessly efficient when he got on the scoresheet against newly promoted opponents.
Mikel Merino added a superb fourth before Jack Clarke salvaged some pride for the hosts. There was still enough time for former Arsenal youth graduate Chuba Akpom to score a goal that pleased both sides of the crowd.
Here are the standouts from a fine night's work for the Gunners.
The flanks looked like Dowman's natural home last season, but the 16-year-old was the perfect No. 10 playing centrally here. Dowman was all quick and clever movement, neat touches and nifty shots on target.
His first goal was taken almost causally in the seventh minute after a worthy high press from the otherwise disappointing Eberechi Eze. In the process, Dowman joined previously precocious Arsenal youths Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fàbregas, who used this competition to announce themselves as credible scoring threats, per OptaJoe.
16 - The three youngest players to score in the League Cup for a Premier League side all did so for Arsenal:
16y 212d - Cesc Fàbregas (vs Wolves, 2003)
16y 258d - Max Dowman (vs Ipswich, 2026)
16y 266d - Jack Wilshere (vs Sheffield United, 2008)
Production. pic.twitter.com/cKPqcFUrpP
The same source also heralded Dowman as "just the second 16-year-old to score two goals in a game for a Premier League side in all competitions, after Wayne Rooney in October 2002 for Everton against Wrexham, also in the League Cup," when the Gunners' starlet bagged his brace two minutes after the restart.
His goals were easy on the eye, but the signature momment of Dowman's elegant display was the dummy touch to position Merino to place a fine shot into the bottom corner. This moment of inspired improvisation summed up the artful enterprise Dowman brought to Arsenal's play going forward.
Dowman's well on his way to meeting Arteta's challenge to "earn" more minutes. So is Salmon, based on his own imperious display.
Facing legitimate top-flight opposition away from home would be a daunting task for any 17-year-old. Only you wouldn't know that from the confident way Salmon bossed Ipswich in the air and on the ground.
The presence of bullish target man Zian Flemming leading the line for the home side indicated what type of night it was going to be for Salmon. He responded admirably by sticking to his task and never allowing himself to be bullied physically.
Salmon benefitted from help in this area, courtesy of seasoned regulars Gabrial Magalhães and Ezri Konsa. Where Salmon didn't get help was when he was asked to carry the ball out of defence.
His assurance and quality in possession belied his tender years. Those traits are also ample proof the Gunners have an eager, young defender ready for greater challenges at the highest level.
Salmon's emergence is a welcome development when injuries and fitness issues for William Saliba, Jurriën Timber and Piero Hincapié are threatening to strip-mine the strongest area of Arteta's squad.
Thankfully, the Arsenal chief is able to call on ample options further forward, where some squad players seized their chance to remind Arteta of their talents.
Comparisons to Gervinho are supposed to undermine Madueke, but it's easy to forget the former had a few moments of true quality at times during his brief Arsenal career. Gervinho was erratic, like Madueke, but the latter reacted the right way to being handed a start in this competition.
Madueke took his goal with the kind of technical certainty he often lacks in the final third. Yet, unlike Gervinho and another frustrating right winger from the Gunners' past, Nicolas Pépé, Madueke never lacks for energy and application.
Arsenal are flying 🔥
Noni Madueke adds a second for the Gunners 🔴 pic.twitter.com/gAVmAI3odx
There was no lethargy in the ex-Chelsea man's performance at Ipswich. Instead, Madueke stayed purposeful and aggressive in his hunt for more goals.
He might even have added an assist or two, had a soporific Viktor Gyökeres not continued his ongoing malaise in anonymity. Madueke, by contrast, is making it as hard as possible for Arteta to ignore him.
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