Wilshere praises team character in comeback win

Arsenal under-18s coach Jack Wilshere expressed pride in his team's character and personality after they battled back from two goals down to secure a 3-2 victory over Birmingham City in the Premier League Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Despite early setbacks with goals from Alezandro Da Silva and Yusuf Ahmed, a superb fightback—featuring a brace from Max Dowman and a strike from Alex Marciniak—ensured that Arsenal took all three points.

Remarkably, this marks the fourth consecutive game in which Arsenal have trailed by at least two goals, only to fight back to secure at least a point or a win.

Reflecting on the result, Wilshere said, "I’m feeling good, and as I’ve said before, this group has a certain personality and fire. I also told them we’ve got to stop going two or three goals down, or I’ll be bald by Christmas!"

He continued, "I thought this was our best performance of the season. Birmingham are tough and strong, and it was a cup game they had to win, so we knew they'd come prepared. But we showed great character and personality, controlling the game and dominating the ball early on. We conceded two goals, which we need to review as part of their development is learning when to play, but overall, I’m very happy with the performance—some individual displays were brilliant."

On Max Dowman’s standout performance, Wilshere added, "Max’s performances speak for themselves, but there’s still a lot of room for development. For a 14-year-old, his character and personality are unreal. When we were 2-0 down, he was the one who wanted the ball, drove at their defence, and made things happen. His mentality to keep going, despite being kicked, and staying calm in those moments is impressive."

Looking ahead to their next match against Aston Villa, Wilshere said, "I’d like to see us keep a clean sheet—we’re due one. I thought our defending was solid today against a team that likes to overload. I want us to start with urgency and maintain the courage and personality we showed today, while being more clinical in front of goal."