Max Dowman, aged just 16 years and 73 days, became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history erasing a record held by Vaughan since 2005, a record that had stood for over two decades.
Dowman erased the history and also made his mark when he was thrown in the dying seconds of Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
Deployed on the right wing, Dowman came on in the 74th minute with the game still goalless. He wasted little time making his mark, first playing a key role in the opening goal before delivering the coup de grâce himself.
With Jordan Pickford stranded up for a corner in the closing stages, Dowman seized on the ball outside his own box, embarked on a breathtaking counter-attack, dribbled past a couple of toffees defenders, and slotted the ball home in the 97th minute to seal Arsenal’s 2-0 win.
The moment shattered a record that had belonged to James Vaughan since April 2005. Dowman scored at just 16 years and 73 days old a full 197 days younger than Vaughan, who had held the record for more than two decades. In doing so, Dowman also became Arsenal’s youngest ever goalscorer, overtaking the legendary Cesc Fàbregas.
The goal was the latest chapter in an already extraordinary story. Dowman had previously made headlines in November 2025 when he became the youngest player ever to appear in the UEFA Champions League, at just 15 years and 308 days surpassing the record previously held by Youssoufa Moukoko.
Arteta had spoken glowingly of the teenager earlier this season, praising his family for raising “a kid with a level of maturity, stability and hunger that is very difficult to see.”
It is a record with remarkable symmetry: Everton’s side in 2005, when Vaughan set the original mark, contained a certain Mikel Arteta — the very manager who today brought on the player to break it.