Arsenal needed their big guns to come off the bench to secure a win over a battling Mansfield Town side in the FA Cup fifth round, but it was two 16-year-olds who made history.
Eberechi Eze scored the winner as Arsenal beat the League One side 2-1 to move into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020, which is when they last won the competition in Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge.
Arteta made nine changes to the side that beat Brighton in the Premier League and named Marli Salmon and Max Dowman, who are both 16, in the starting line-up.
It was Salmon’s first start for the club while Dowman became the youngest player to start a game for Arsenal in the FA Cup at 16 years and 66 days old.
It was also the first time a Premier League side had named two players aged 16 or under in a starting XI in any competition.
Arteta used an unfamiliar three-man defence, with the Gunners boss saying the players had trained in the formation “once” and for “10 minutes”.
Salmon started at right centre-back, with Dowman in an advanced midfield role as Arsenal came under intense pressure after a bright Mansfield start.
The hosts had eight shots in the opening 15 minutes, which is the most Arsenal had faced in a match during that period this season.
Noni Madueke’s opener was cancelled out by a defiant Mansfield after the break before substitute Eze scored the winner, as Arsenal survived a hefty FA Cup scare.
“Very proud of him [Dowman], very proud as well of Marli,” Arteta said when asked about the pair.
“Two 16-year-olds starting in the FA Cup. That tells us a lot about them, their personality and the quality that they have. And Max, I think he was exceptional.”
The victory was Arsenal’s 35th win this season in all competitions, more than any other side in Europe, and is the most wins they have had in a single campaign under Arteta (previously 34 in 2023-24).
Dowman is used to breaking records whenever he plays for Arsenal.
Alongside being the youngest player to start an FA Cup game, Dowman is the youngest player to ever start a match for Arsenal after starting in their win over Brighton in the Carabao Cup, and is the youngest ever player to feature in the Champions League.
Arteta has previously hinted at comparisons between Dowman’s ability and one of the world’s best ever players Lionel Messi, and the youngster continues to impress whenever he is in the side.
The England youth international has committed his future to the Gunners and signed a pre-contract agreement with the club in January.
Arteta regularly praises Dowman’s mentality, who looked up to the pace of the game despite it being his first appearance for the senior side since November against Slavia Prague.
The midfielder had a couple of chances to score and his reaction when he missed showed he sets high standards for himself.
“Max Dowman is a delight to watch,” Stephen Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The way he carries the ball and he glides past players. Often he offloads it at the right time. His vision and understanding of the game is phenomenal for someone so young.”
Dowman was one of the first players to console Salmon after his pass allowed Mansfield back into the match, and he nearly bailed out his fellow teenager with an excellent individual effort late in the game before Eze’s winner.
“The game is different physically, it is so different from youth football,” Warnock added. “He knows how to find space and he is constantly looking over his shoulder.
“His decision-making for such a young player – he is incredible.”
A learning experience for Salmon
Salmon was given a lot of responsibility for a defender of his age on his first start for Arsenal.
He started on the right side of a makeshift backline and was tasked with moving into midfield with the ball, which can present risks.
There was one particular highlight for the academy graduate that showed his ability, when an attack was built through the youngster while he was in the middle of the pitch.
But despite those positives, Salmon was disappointed to be replaced by Jurrien Timber after his pass was intercepted for Mansfield’s equaliser.
Arteta was still full of praise for Salmon and gave him some words of encouragement as he left the pitch.
“I have to watch it back, but I could sense that he was responsible,” Arteta said when asked about Salmon’s pass.
“And it is good in a way, but don’t lose perspective because everybody that has been in that [dressing] room, that has been at this level, has made an error, a mistake or a situation leading to a goal. But that’s not important.
“The important thing is the way he played and some of the things that he’s done on the pitch. I think that’s much more important than the other parts.”
Salmon has regularly trained with the Arsenal senior side and is the fourth youngest player to feature for the Gunners’ first team behind Ethan Nwaneri, Dowman and Jack Porter.
The youngster is learning from William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes and will be able to add the experience against Mansfield to what is an extremely promising career.
