A 15-year-old still on summer vacation from school won a penalty for Arsenal on his Premier League debut. A 16-year-old scored a last-gasp winner for Liverpool in his first match in the top division.
Kids are being given a chance by England's top teams at the start of this season — and they are making the most of the opportunity.
Now Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha might be going head-to-head in the biggest match so far in the Premier League.
The highlight of the third round of games this weekend sees Arsenal travel to Liverpool on Sunday for a meeting between two teams who are on a maximum six points and are likely to be battling for the title.
What also links the two powerhouse teams is their trust in young talent.
At 15 years and 235 days, Dowman became the second-youngest player to feature in the Premier League when he entered as a substitute for Arsenal in a 5-0 win over Leeds on Saturday. He showed excellent technical skills and dribbling ability, earning a late penalty that was converted for the final goal.
Four days before his 17th birthday, Ngumoha made his senior Liverpool debut when coming on as a late substitute at Newcastle on Monday and secured a 3-2 win in dramatic style by scoring off one of the last kicks of the game.
Both teenagers are likely to be on the bench again at Anfield but don’t be surprised if their managers turn to them late in a game that will see at least one 100% record disappear.
Key matchups
Tottenham is the only other team to have won both its opening two games and next hosts Bournemouth on Saturday. Spurs are yet to concede a goal in a clear change of emphasis under new manager Thomas Frank, who is more defensively minded than predecessor Ange Postecoglou.
Manchester City is looking to bounce back from a 2-0 home loss to Tottenham when visiting Brighton on Sunday.
There are already two clubs close to crisis not even three weeks into the season.
Manchester United hosts Burnley on Saturday, three days after a humiliating exit in the English League Cup at the hands of fourth-tier Grimsby Town.
Then there's West Ham, which conceded a total of eight goals in defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea and also has been eliminated from the League Cup — on a night when captain Jarrod Bowen tried to confront his own fans. Next up is a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Players to watch
Eberechi Eze was introduced as Arsenal's latest signing at the weekend and the England forward is in line to make his debut in the toughest possible environment — at Anfield.
Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike is more sure to start and has scored in each of his first three games for the club — in the Community Shield and in league wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle.
There will be pressure on newly signed Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford during the match against Brighton following his shaky display against Tottenham, including being at fault for the second goal because of a poor pass. Trafford has replaced Ederson as the starting ‘keeper but certainly isn’t as adept with the ball at his feet.
Out of action
Bukayo Saka is likely to be missing for Arsenal at Liverpool after sustaining a hamstring injury against Leeds. The BBC has reported the England winger will be out for up to four weeks, potentially ruling him out of the upcoming international break.
Another England international struggling with an injury is Cole Palmer, who missed Chelsea's 5-1 win at West Ham on Friday because of a groin injury. Palmer didn't train early this week.
Newcastle heads into a match at Leeds on Saturday with some problems after a bruising loss to Liverpool on Monday when midfielders Sandro Tonali and Joelinton went off with injuries described by manager Eddie Howe as “quite threatening to us.” Anthony Gordon, filling in as striker while Alexander Isak is unavailable, is also missing because of suspension.
Off the field
It's the final weekend before the transfer window shuts on Monday, so there could be some interesting team selections featuring — or maybe even excluding — players linked with moves.
Isak is the obvious one. He continues to train away from the main squad at Newcastle as he seeks a transfer, potentially to Liverpool.
Yoane Wissa, a reported target of Newcastle, has yet to play for Brentford this season and has removed any association with the club on his Instagram account, though has returned to training. Will he feature against Sunderland on Saturday?
Watch out, too, for any developments at Nottingham Forest, whose manager Nuno Espirito Santo went public last week in detailing a deterioration in his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis. How will Forest fans welcome Nuno at the home match against West Ham?
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
