LONDON
\nMax Dowman, 16, propelled Arsenal closer to the title by becoming the Premier League\u2019s youngest ever goalscorer in a dramatic 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday as Manchester City stumbled in a 1-1 draw at West Ham.
\nMikel Arteta\u2019s men are edging towards a first league title in 22 years as their advantage over City, who have a game in hand, now stands at nine points.
\nArsenal struggled to break down obdurate Everton until the teenage substitute turned the game in the final moments.
\nViktor Gyokeres finally found a way through in the 89th minute, with a helping hand from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who flapped at Dowman\u2019s cross.
\nThe ensuing scenes of delirium on the pitch and in the stands underlined the significance of a fourth successive league win.
\nThere was still time for Dowman to run the length of the pitch and slot into an empty net with Pickford nowhere to be seen after coming up for an Everton corner in stoppage time.
\nAged just 16 and 73 days, Dowman is now the youngest scorer in the history of the Premier League and in Arsenal\u2019s history.
\n\u201cHe changed the game every time he got the ball. He made things happen and we looked like more of a threat,\u201d added Arteta.
\n\u201cTo do it at that age, in this context, with the pressure and expectations to win the game, it\u2019s just not normal.\u201d
\nArsenal, trophyless since 2020, remain in the hunt for a quadruple.
\nThe leaders rode their luck to beat a depleted Everton, adding to the mounting feeling that they will be one of the least stylistically impressive champions in recent memory if they do take the crown.
\nBut Arteta and company won\u2019t care about that ahead of a huge week.
\nThe Gunners have a Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen next week, with the tie level at 1-1, before heading to Wembley to face City in the League Cup final.
\nCity\u2019s season is in danger of coming off the rails as West Ham clung on for a point that lifted them out of the relegation zone for the first time in three months.
\nPep Guardiola\u2019s men were thrashed 3-0 by Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in midweek and have dropped four points to sides battling relegation in their last two Premier League outings.
\nBernardo Silva\u2019s attempted cross floated in at the far post to give City the lead at the London Stadium.
\nBut the advantage lasted less than four minutes before Konstantinos Mavropanos headed in from a corner.
\nCity dominated the second half but failed to find a way through as Erling Haaland\u2019s barren spell in front of goal goes on.
\nGuardiola said before the game his side had no more room for error in the title race and their chance may have disappeared when Marc Guehi ballooned over a glorious opportunity to win the game in stoppage time.
\n\u201cMaybe yes, maybe no,\u201d said City midfielder Rodri on whether the title race is over. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to drop hands, we\u2019re going to keep fighting.\u201d
\nA point for West Ham also has huge ramifications at the bottom of the table.
\nNottingham Forest drop into the bottom three with Tottenham ahead of the Hammers now only on goal difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Max Dowman, 16, propelled Arsenal closer to the title by becoming the Premier League\u2019s youngest ever goalscorer in a dramatic 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday as Manchester City stumbled in a 1-1 draw at West Ham. Mikel Arteta\u2019s men are edging towards a first league title in 22 years as their advantage over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-536881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n