"Do not kill me", "Chosen one" - Arsenal fans stunned by performance from 'unbelievable' star during 5-0 win vs Leeds United

Fans on X have praised Arsenal teenage sensation Max Dowman for his impressive display in their 5-0 win over Leeds United. Both sides were in action at the Emirates in the Premier League on Saturday, August 23.

Jurrien Timber planted his header into the back of the net to give the hosts the lead following a corner kick from Declan Rice in the 34th minute. At the cusp of halftime (45+1’), Bukayo Saka rifled his effort into the net to double Arsenal's lead.

Three minutes into the second half, Viktor Gyokeres advanced with the ball in attack and placed his effort into the net to make it 3-0. Timber scored his second goal of the encounter to give the Gunners a four-goal lead in the 56th minute. In added time (90+5’), Gyokeres scored from the penalty spot to seal the victory for Mikel Arteta's men.

Meanwhile, Dowman was introduced as a replacement for Noni Madueke in the 64th minute of the game. The teenager put in an impressive performance in attack and won the late penalty, which Gyokeres converted. In 27 minutes, Dowman registered two shots, won five out of seven ground duels contested, and was successful in one out of three attempted dribbles (via Sofascore).

He also won the penalty in stoppage time. After the game, Arsenal fans on X lauded his performance, with one tweeting:

"Max Dowman do not kill me. 3 penalties won in 3 cameos 😭.”

"Max Dowman is special. Very special.,” another added.

"Dowman has just won his 3rd penalty for us.,” another wrote.

"We have to protect him, this is Yamal level potential,” a fan opined.

"That’s a Dowman assist in my book. 📕,” another claimed.

"Dowman wins penalties for fun, defenders can’t deal with him. 🤣,” a fan hilariously added.

"Took Yamal 3 games to get his first assist Dowman did it in 1 game,” another posted.

"Max Dowman is those chosen one. Unbelievable kid man,” wrote another.

"A nice first home game of the season" - Jurrien Timber on Arsenal's win over Leeds United

Arsenal v Leeds United - Premier League - Source: Getty

Jurrien Timber has said that the Gunners' home win over Leeds United was an outstanding one. He added that he and his teammates played well as they also registered their second clean sheet of the season, which he termed ‘important.’

Reacting to Arsenal's performance in an interview after the game, Timber said (via afcstuff on X):

"A nice first home game of the season, you felt the energy of the crowd. The team played really well, clean sheet again is also important. A special day, scoring two times & assisting as well - I’m going to enjoy this!” 😁

The north London giants have now registered six points from two games in the 2025-26 term. Arsenal are also the leaders in the standings, and they will be eager to remain consistent as they look to win the league title this season.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Aditya Singh