Premier League talking points: Dowman hogs the headlines as Haaland's City fall behind

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Erling Haaland[/a]'s barren run has hit [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a]'s title bid, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a] received a glimmer of hope in their fight against relegation.[/p][p][i]AFP Sport [/i]looks at three talking points from this weekend's action:[/p][h2]Teenage dreams for Dowman[/h2][p]Questions over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a]'s lack of guile and ability to handle the mental strain of going for a first league title in 22 years were about to be raised once more - until Mikel Arteta's men were saved by 16-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/max-dowman/WzLvGkGO/"]Max Dowman[/a].[/p][p][b]"He changed the game every time he got the ball," s[/b]aid Arteta, who tore down the touchline in manic celebration at both his side's late goals in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/arsenal-hA1Zm19f/everton-KluSTr9s/summary/stats/?mid=4OXbaaaf"]Saturday's dramatic 2-0 win[/a] over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/everton/KluSTr9s/"]Everton[/a].[/p][embed guid="61d7fd67-a5b8-4e8e-85cc-39cd82491a2b" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2032907373614968949" social-type="twitter" /][p]Dowman was the creator of the opener as his cross deceived [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pickford-jordan/SKTJdUtH/"]Jordan Pickford[/a], handing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gyokeres-viktor/zaBZ1xIk/"]Viktor Gyokeres[/a] a tap-in.[/p][p]Pickford was stranded upfield moments later after going forward for a late Everton corner when Arsenal broke.[/p][p]Dowman collected possession deep inside his own half and weaved past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mykolenko-vitali/d0pgiRk7/"]Vitaliy Mykolenko[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dewsbury-hall-kiernan/p2OLMO3D/"]Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall[/a] before running free towards an open goal and becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.[/p][p][b]"To do it at that age, in this context, with the pressure and expectations to win the game, it's just not normal," [/b]added Arteta.[/p][embed guid="440897c2-2744-4d06-a8dc-b62e57964a20" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2032943806966833424" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Gunners boss has a delicate balancing act to strike between giving Dowman the minutes to flourish while not putting too much expectation on his shoulders.[/p][p]But his impact has taken Arsenal a giant strike towards ending their long wait for the title, with the leaders now nine points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.[/p][h2]City slump amid Haaland's barren spell[/h2][p]Manchester City remain alive for now in four competitions, but their season is at risk of unravelling quickly.[/p][p]Draws against two of the sides in the relegation battle - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/west-ham/Cxq57r8g/"]West Ham[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a] - in their last two league games have allowed Arsenal to gallop clear at the top.[/p][embed guid="fde5dd32-9d21-40fc-a7fe-2ed531aa3d86" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2032939738055766251" social-type="twitter" /][p]City have a mountain to climb when 15-time European champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a] visit the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, protecting a 3-0 first-leg lead.[/p][p][b]And they go head-to-head with Arsenal for the first silverware of the season in next weekend's League Cup final.[/b][/p][p]Early in the campaign, City were able to rely on a steady stream of Erling Haaland goals to keep pace at the top of the table, but the Norwegian's form has tailed off in 2026.[/p][embed guid="fc4248fd-e04a-48e1-a6ac-69c9fa0047e3" url="https://x.com/ManCity/status/2032912223341883510" social-type="twitter" /][p]Of Haaland's 42 goals for club and country this season, 38 came in his first 28 appearances of the campaign.[/p][p]And two of his four in the 18 games since have come from the penalty spot.[/p][p][b]"Erling knows it, we need his goals, but we need to create more," [/b]said City boss Pep Guardiola.[/p][p][b]"For him to be involved, we have to create that threat. He will be back soon."[/b][/p][h2]Spurs hope for salvation[/h2][p]Just moments away from another damaging defeat in a dismal season that threatens to end in the humiliation of relegation, Tottenham savoured a moment of hope when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/richarlison/K82Dz773/"]Richarlison[/a]'s scuffed strike hit the back of the net at Anfield.[/p][p]Trailing to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/szoboszlai-dominik/dERKtqoo/"]Dominik Szoboszlai[/a]'s 18th-minute free-kick, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tudor-igor/Qu12kvXf/"]Igor Tudor[/a]'s side [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/liverpool-lId4TMwf/tottenham-UDg08Ohm/summary/stats/?mid=dtZvdoAa"]salvaged a 1-1 draw[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] thanks to Richarlison's 90th-minute goal.[/p][embed guid="073a641e-c6fc-4584-bb91-da40a0212533" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2033248227462369696" social-type="twitter" /][p]Instead of sitting level on points with third-bottom West Ham and fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest, 16th-placed Tottenham hold a slender one-point advantage over their relegation rivals.[/p][p]The gritty draw was just reward for an improved second-half display as Tottenham ended a run of five successive league defeats.[/p][p]They are still winless in 12 league games, but the sight of Tudor jubilantly punching the air after Richarlison's goal underlined the significance of the result.[/p][image alt="Spurs standings" id="8ca9ee1e-8f41-411d-a1e9-532c9fde67a7" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="dbd81845-76f9-466c-aaad-8b4f3cc42e74" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]With a crucial clash against Forest scheduled for next week, Tottenham still have their fate in their own hands.[/p][p]No wonder a relieved Tudor called the draw a potential "turning point" in the relegation fight.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/england/premier-league/results/"]Follow the Premier League with Flashscore![/a][/h2]