Dowman brace steers Arsenal’s rotated side past Ipswich in Carabao Cup
Max Dowman scored twice as Arsenal beat Ipswich here in the Carabao Cup third round on 15 September 2026. The 16-year-old also supplied an assist and was named man of the match in a performance that powered a largely rotated Arsenal side to victory.
Dowman has been compared to a certain Lionel Messi by his manager, Mikel Arteta, and Arteta said: “He can deliver those actions effortlessly. That’s his biggest quality.” Arteta also warned of the need for careful management, saying: “But what we have to do is look after him. He’s 16 years old, you don’t see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that’s a totally different context. We really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he’s in the right context with the right preparation. That’s what we are trying to do.” Seventeen-year-old Marli Salmon made only his second senior start and impressed in central defence, and Arsenal extended their season-opening run to seven wins out of seven.
Dowman’s most recent first-team appearance had been the final game of last season when Arsenal were crowned champions; he completed his GCSEs and spent a week in New York during the World Cup before returning. Arteta had said beforehand he would have “earn his minutes” like anyone else, and it took seven minutes from his introduction for Dowman to seize his opportunity, muscling Santiago Núñez off the ball on the halfway line, dribbling past Cédric Kipré and coolly placing his shot into the corner before sliding on his knee.
Ipswich’s support tried to needle Arsenal fans over European honours but the home side were punished as Arsenal piled on pressure. Noni Madueke hammered in after Bruno Guimarães and Mikel Merino combined to set him up, and Salmon produced a clearance off the line to deny Zian Flemming as Ipswich pushed for a response.
Salmon signed his professional contract when he turned 17 last month and had featured in the Champions League and FA Cup last season; he drew applause for a slaloming run just before half-time after calmly extricating himself from pressure from Flemming. Ipswich’s hopes of a comeback were ended early in the second half when Martín Zubimendi picked out Dowman on the edge of the six-yard box and he caressed the finish into the far corner.
Merino then curled home off Dowman’s touch to make the outcome secure, although Ipswich did reply through Anis Mehmeti after he was set up by the substitute Jack Clarke and Chuba Akpom grabbed a late consolation in injury time via a deflection. By the final whistle Arsenal had four teenagers on the pitch, including Myles Lewis-Skelly, described in the report as 19, and the 18-year-old Theo Julienne at right-back.
Both managers had made extensive changes from their Premier League line-ups at the weekend, with a combined 19 alterations, and Ipswich boss Gary O’Neil acknowledged the challenge: “It’s the most extreme test that you can face,” he said. After a summer of heavy spending, many of the players who helped Ipswich return from the Championship were given opportunities but largely failed to make an impact against last season’s runners-up.
The victory took Arsenal to seven wins from seven at the start of the new campaign.