‌Things then nosedived spectacularly at Sunderland where he infamously endured a 1,370-day drought without winning a Premier League game in which he started. Following the game, the then 18-year-old said: “We’ve beaten Man City, Chelsea and now Man United. “Just to get on against United (Rodwell and fellow scorer Dan Gosling were both substitutes) was great, but to score and beat them was the icing on the cake. O’Keeffe wrote: “With a grim predictability born of winning 17 of the last 19 Premier League clashes at Goodison, United took the lead with 15 minutes gone. “Arteta slipped a ball to the teenager who carried it confidently, dummied Johnny Evans and beat Van de Sar with a neat finish that sent Goodison Park into raptures.”

Source: Daily Mirror February 21, 2026 10:02 UTC