Viktor Gyokeres lauded Max Dowman’s impact off the bench after the teenager scored his first senior goal to help Arsenal beat Everton on Saturday evening.Â
The 16-year-old replaced Martin Zubimendi with the game scoreless in the second half and immediately invigorated the Gunners’ attack.
Dowman swung in a cross in the 89th minute which found Piero Hincapie, who diverted the ball to Viktor Gyokeres to tap in from close range.
As the Toffees chased an equaliser, Dowman ran the length of the pitch before passing into an empty net as Jordan Pickford had joined the attack.
Viktor Gyokeres hails Max Dowman heroics as Arsenal snatch late win against Everton
“It’s incredible,” he told Sky Sports. “You can see how he plays, he plays so calm and without fear every time he gets the ball.
“He takes the right decisions most of the time as well. You can see with the goal, he definitely took the right one. An amazing player and a great goal for him.
“We’re behind him as we’re behind everyone one of us. That’s why we play good.”
Gyokeres also played the role of super sub after Kai Havertz started the match up front. When asked what Arteta told them before coming on, he responded: “It was just getting information to do the plan we talked about before the game.
“We tried to change the game and get the win. We tried to take our chances and I think we did.”
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The tension in the Emirates Stadium before Gyokeres’ goal was palpable as supporters feared letting Manchester City an opportunity to close the gap, but they instead extended their lead to ten points ahead of City’s encounter with West Ham.
“I think it’s normal when it’s 0-0 an there’s only a few minutes left,” the Sweden international continued.
“We know how important this win is… you saw the atmosphere after the goals and that’s what we love.”
He added: “Every win is important. We try to do the best in our games and we can’t control the other results.
“We’re in a good position. We’ll try to enjoy these moments now.”
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