Mikel Arteta has revealed the message he sent Max Dowman and his fellow substitutes before the Arsenal wonderkid made history against Everton. The Gunners left it late to claim a 2-0 victory in North London, moving them 10 points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

Viktor Gyokeres broke the deadlock in the 89th minute after coming off the bench and Dowman followed his lead in stoppage time. The 16-year-old evaded multiple challenges from Everton players to burst away and score in an open get, as Jordan Pickford had gone up for the Toffees' late corner.

Dowman, now the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, entered the fray in the 74th minute and his attacking intent was clear. The midfielder must've listened to his boss, as Arteta was asked in his post-match press conference what he'd told his subs.

"Go and do your thing and win us the game," the Arsenal manager replied. "the same to Viktor and to [Gabriel] Martinelli, when something special has to happen."

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In an interview with Sky Sports, Arteta elaborated on his message by saying: "That is it at the moment. The same with Gabi, I think a lot of the players that came in, the impact that the finishers are having in the season is remarkable.

"Everybody's important, everybody's adding to the team. And yeah, there are moments where you have to be patient with all the dominance and the amount of short situations that you have when you don't score.

"The anxiety is building, and you have to stay composed, be relentless in your desire to win the game and make something happen. And the team really had that experience today."

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The Gunners boss said of Dowman's goal: "It was a great moment, especially the way the goal was built up, and we had like 10-15 seconds to really enjoy it.

"We knew the goal was about to happen, and it was magical, all the bench and all the players together, jumping off into the crowd. It was a beautiful day."

Dowman will be hoping to start Arsenal's next game, as they host Bayer Leverkusen for the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie. The Gunners drew 1-1 in Germany on Wednesday thanks to Kai Havertz's late penalty.

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