Arteta salutes 'unbelievable' Dowman

Mikel Arteta hailed the "unbelievable" Max Dowman after Arsenal's teenage sensation inspired his team to a 4-2 win against Ipswich in the League Cup on Tuesday.

Arteta handed Dowman his first appearance this season and the 16-year-old seized his chance with two goals and an assist in the third-round tie at Portman Road.

After Dowman burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old last season, the Gunners boss compared the precocious young playmaker to Lionel Messi.

He played 13 times last season and became the youngest Premier League scorer ever against Everton in March. But Arteta has been cautious in his use of Dowman, who has been an unused substitute several times this term.

Before the Ipswich game, Arteta said Dowman "will have his minutes and he will have to earn them like anybody else".

He has little need to hurry Dowman's development, because Premier League champion Arsenal has so much experience and quality in its ranks.

However, even Arteta had to admit Dowman had delivered a master class against Ipswich.

"Unbelievable, he's unpredictable, he can go either way, so fluid, so nice to watch," the Spaniard said.

Dowman's previous appearance came in the final game of last season against Crystal Palace, when Arsenal had already been crowned champion.

He has since completed his school exams and is looking forward to a bright future with Arsenal.

Dowman's potential is obvious, but becoming a key player for Arsenal won't be easy.

Many teenage stars have flamed out before reaching their potential, and Arteta is determined to be a nurturing presence for the youngster.

"He is 16, we don't really see that in the Premier League," Arteta said.

"In this environment, we want to develop him and we need to look after him."

With Dowman waiting in the wings, Arsenal will return to action at Brighton on Saturday in its last game before the international break.

Arteta's team has won all six of its matches across the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup.

Having made a host of changes against Ipswich, Arteta was impressed with the desire of his understudies.

"That's what we want to do, face every game, every competition with the same mentality, attitude and desire, and so far we are doing it," he said.

Spurs' misery continues

Liverpool piled on the misery for troubled Tottenham with a 3-1 win in the League Cup third round.

After a woeful start to the Premier League season, Tottenham's hope of a morale-boosting cup run came to a dispiriting end at rain-lashed Anfield.

It was swatted aside by Liverpool, with Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai scoring for the Reds.

Roberto De Zerbi's team sits fourth from bottom without a win, or even a goal, in its first four league matches, losing twice and drawing twice.

Tottenham's only win this season has come in the League Cup against second-tier Charlton.

After successive 17th-place finishes — including avoiding relegation on the final day of last season — the north London club spent over 300 million pounds ($404 million) on 10 new signings in the summer.

But the return on that eye-watering investment has not been immediate, sparking fears of another relegation battle.

Adding to De Zerbi's problems, unsettled striker Richarlison took to social media to lament the Italian's decision to leave him out of the squad to face Liverpool.

"We have to shoot more times and we have to shoot better," De Zerbi said. "We have to finish better the clear situations."

Tottenham isn't playing in European competition this season, so its only realistic chance of silverware now lies with the FA Cup, starting in January.

"I don't know if the click is (coming) on Saturday or not," De Zerbi said, looking ahead to Aston Villa's visit in the league. "Because we have enough quality to score many goals with these players."