Max Dowman could have done more instead of just a historic goal in Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Everton. This 16-year-old prodigy even brought something rare when helping Mikel Arteta's team become more "friendly" in the eyes of the public.
However, saying Arsenal is "adorable" is probably still an exaggeration. This team is still facing much criticism, despite the fact that they are on the path to an unprecedented quadruple in English football history, including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler once criticized Arsenal's playing style and time-wasting. Meanwhile, Paul Scholes said they could be "the worst champions", while Peter Schmeichel described The Gunners' playing style as "ugly".
However, Dowman's moment brought a completely different emotion. The goal in injury time - right after assisting Viktor Gyokeres - not only helped Arsenal win importantly, but also made him the youngest scorer in Premier League history.
That is a goal that converges the most beautiful things in football: risk, improvisation, personality and freedom. And that is what highlights the contrast with Arsenal's current style.
It was a great moment, especially the way the goal was created. We only had 10 or 15 seconds to really enjoy what was about to happen.
All the members on the bench and the players cheered together with the audience, it was a great day" - Arteta said when witnessing Dowman's goal.
Arteta's team operates like a computer, where risk and improvisation are often maximally limited. Their success comes from detailed control and optimization of each small advantage, rather than individual explosive moments.
This is the biggest paradox. Arsenal may be about to make history, but they do not create strong emotions like the great teams before.
Arsene Wenger's unbeaten squad in the 2003-2004 season once conquered global fans with beautiful play. If Arteta's Arsenal wins the quadruple, they can surpass that record, as well as the treble achievements of Manchester United (1998-1999) and Manchester City (2022-2023).
But the price may be that football becomes more pragmatic. Success always leads to copying, just like Pep Guardiola's football control philosophy has spread globally.
Now, "Artetaball" is also gradually becoming a trend, especially with the focus on set pieces. Arsenal has scored 21 goals from dead balls in the Premier League this season - accounting for more than 34% of the total goals.
While other big teams possess attacking superstars like Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah or Kylian Mbappe, Arsenal does not have many two-digit goalscorers, except Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli.
However, they are still the team that scores the most goals in the tournament - proof of the effectiveness of the system. And that is what makes Arsenal different. They win with structure, discipline and detail, instead of inspiration.
Dowman's moment therefore became special. It is a reminder that football is not just numbers or probabilities, but also emotions. But even such a genius moment can hardly change the nature of Arsenal today - a winning team, but still controversial about how they do it.
