Arsenal U18s continued their push for the U18 Premier League title with a 3-1 victory over Norwich City at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Talented midfielder Max Dowman played a key role in the win, scoring twice in the encounter.
Dowman got Arsenal off to a bright start, gliding past two players before being brought down on the edge of the area.
He impressed again in the 14th minute, breaking into the box and unleashing a left-footed strike, but goalkeeper Henry Bullen did well to parry his effort away.
Serbian forward Louis Zecevic-John then missed a chance to open the scoring, failing to convert after being played in behind by Dowman.
Arsenal were punished for their missed chances when the Canaries took the lead in the 21st minute through forward Damari Daley.
The Gunners found an equaliser on the half-hour mark, with midfielder Dan Casey combining well with Zecevic-John before curling the ball into the bottom corner.
Centre-back Samuel Onyekachukwu made a crucial block to deny Daley a second, while Ife Ibrahim missed a good opportunity to put Arsenal ahead before the break.
Just four minutes after the restart, Dowman won a penalty and calmly stepped up to convert it, registering his first goal of the match.
Maalik Hashi came close to extending Arsenal’s lead, but his effort struck the post. Norwich almost drew level themselves, only to be denied by the crossbar.
In the 75th minute, substitute Ceadach O’Neill found Zecevic-John, who was brought down by Oser Okpiabhele. Dowman stepped up again and made no mistake from the spot.
With his brace, Dowman has now scored six goals in his last three appearances and recorded 10 goal involvements in the league this season.
Arsenal currently sit fifth in the U18 Premier League South, with two games in hand over leaders Chelsea.
