Three talking points from the Premier League

Arsenals push for the Premier League title included a remarkable performance by young player Max Dowman.

Manchester Citys title challenge suffers due to Erling Haalands goal drought, whereas Tottenham gained a slight boost in their battle to avoid the drop.

AFP Sport examines three key discussion points from the weekends matches:

Young talents dream for Dowman

Doubts regarding Arsenals tactical sharpness and their capacity to cope with the psychological pressure of chasing a first league crown in 22 years were set to surface again, but Mikel Artetas squad was rescued by 16 year old Max Dowman.

He altered the match whenever he touched the ball, remarked Arteta, who sprinted along the sideline in wild joy during celebrations for both of his teams late strikes in their thrilling 2 0 victory against Everton on Saturday.

Dowman set up the first goal when his delivery fooled Jordan Pickford, allowing Viktor Gyokeres an easy finish.

Pickford found himself caught out shortly after advancing for a corner in added time for Everton, as Arsenal countered swiftly.

Gathering the ball well inside his own territory, Dowman evaded Vitaliy Mykolenko and Kiernan Dewsbury Hall before dashing clear to slot home into an unguarded net, thus becoming the youngest ever scorer in Premier League records.

Achieving this at such a young age, under this intense scenario, amid the demands and need to secure the victory, is simply extraordinary, Arteta continued.

The Arsenal manager faces the challenge of providing Dowman with sufficient playing time to develop without overwhelming him with too much pressure.

However, his influence has propelled Arsenal significantly closer to lifting the trophy after years of anticipation, positioning the frontrunners nine points clear of Manchester City in second spot.

Citys dip during Haalands dry patch

Manchester City are still competing in four tournaments for the moment, yet their campaign could collapse rapidly.

Stalemates versus two teams embroiled in the drop zone, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, in their recent pair of league fixtures have enabled Arsenal to surge ahead at the summit.

City face a steep task hosting Real Madrid, the 15 time European winners, at the Etihad on Tuesday while defending a 3 0 advantage from the initial leg.

Moreover, they will confront Arsenal in the upcoming League Cup final, marking the seasons opening trophy opportunity.

During the early stages, City depended on a consistent flow of goals from Erling Haaland to stay competitive at the leagues peak, but the forwards output has declined in 2026.

Out of Haalands 42 strikes across club and international duties this term, 38 arrived in his opening 28 outings.

Furthermore, two of his four tallies in the subsequent 18 matches stemmed from penalties.

Erling is aware, we require his contributions, yet we must generate additional scoring chances, stated City manager Pep Guardiola.

To engage him effectively, we need to build that danger. He will return to form shortly.

Spurs seek redemption

Teetering on the brink of yet another costly loss in a woeful campaign that risks concluding with the shame of demotion, Tottenham found a spark of optimism when Richarlisons mishit effort found the net at Anfield.

Down to Dominik Szoboszlais 18th minute set piece, Igor Tudors team clawed back a 1 1 tie versus Liverpool courtesy of Richarlisons strike in the 90th minute.

Rather than matching points with third from bottom West Ham and fourth from bottom Nottingham Forest, Tottenham in 16th position maintain a narrow one point lead over those battling relegation.

The resilient result justly recognised their enhanced performance post interval, as they halted a sequence of five straight league losses.

They remain without a victory in 12 top flight encounters, but Tudors exuberant fist pump following Richarlisons goal highlighted the draws importance.

With a vital encounter against Forest lined up next week, Tottenham retain control over their destiny.

It is unsurprising that a grateful Tudor described the point as a possible pivotal moment in the survival struggle.