Arsenal did not play well at Mansfield. They were dominated at the start of the game, pegged back in the second half and held on a little at the end. But no matter which period they were in, Max Dowman excelled.

The best player in Mikel Arteta's team in their FA Cup fifth-round win was a 16-year-old - in a side which had senior internationals and first-team stars.

Even though Dowman is highly rated, such an "exceptional" performance - as Arteta put it after the game - was still a surprise.

This was his first senior appearance for Arsenal in 123 days - when he became the youngest Champions League player at Slavia Prague - after his first injury kept him away from the spotlight for four months. This was also an intense environment, with a raucous FA Cup crowd - but also a pitch that bobbled.

Dowman was also trying to make an impact during an unsettled Arsenal team, as injuries forced Arteta's team to field a back three for the first time in four and a half years. The Arsenal manager joked his team only trained with that system once, for 10 minutes on Friday.

And yet, the youngster...