The bad news for everyone else is that Arsenal’s next generation is already here. Two mesmerising goals in a man-of-the-match display from Max Dowman underlined why the 16-year-old has been compared to a certain Lionel Messi by his manager, Mikel Arteta, as Ipswich were swatted aside with ease. Almost as impressive was the performance of 17-year-old Marli Salmon, who oozed class in central defence on only the second senior start of his career.

Ipswich won here the last time these two sides met in this competition, in 2011, but lost 3-0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates before Arsenal infamously lost to Birmingham in the final. Fifteen years on, Gary O’Neil’s heavily rotated side stood no chance here against last year’s runners up after Dowman’s brilliant opening goal. Noni Madueke and the stand-in skipper Mikel Merino were also on target as Arsenal made it seven wins out of seven to start the new campaign.

Having finally ended their long wait for silverware in style last year, this team are hungry for more and know they can now rely on one of the most exciting talents ever to have emerged from their Hale End academy.

Both managers made their priorities clear as there were a combined 19 changes from the two sides’ wins in the Premier League at the weekend. After a summer of heavy spending, many of those who helped Ipswich bounce straight back from the Championship last season were given an opportunity to stake a claim as only Jacob Greaves retained his place from the 3-2 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Arteta sprang a surprise by starting Salmon in central defence alongside the experience of Gabriel Magalhães, while Martin Zubimendi was deployed in an ­unfamiliar right‑back role.

Dowman’s most recent first-team appearance was in the final game of last season, when Arsenal were crowned champions, and he has since completed his GCSEs before spending a week in New York during the World Cup where he rubbed shoulders with Paul Pogba. Arteta said beforehand that he would have to “earn his ­minutes” like anyone else and it only took seven minutes for Dowman to seize his opportunity.

Ipswich’s fans were taunting their Arsenal counterparts about never being crowned European champions when he muscled Santiago Núñez off the ball on the halfway line and set off towards the penalty area. The imposing figure of Cédric Kipré – all 6ft 3in of him – was all that stood in Dowman’s way but he went past the Ivory Coast defender in a flurry of feet before cooly dispatching a shot into the corner and performing a Thierry Henry knee slide for good measure.

Ipswich’s mission got even harder when Madueke hammered home from inside the area after Bruno Guimarães and Mikel Merino had combined to set him up. Barely a quarter of an hour had been played.

To their credit, the hosts rallied and it needed a clearance off the line from Salmon to deny Zian ­Flemming. The powerful Dutchman then showed deftness of touch to set up Anis Mehmeti but he could only fire over.

Not to be outdone by Dowman, Salmon – who signed his professional contract when he turned 17 last month having also played in the Champions League and FA Cup last season – set out on a slaloming run just before half-time after calmly turning his way out of trouble under pressure from Flemming, drawing a round of applause from the Arsenal bench. He could also rely on Gabriel to sweep up a couple of dangerous Ipswich attacks as Kepa Arrizabalaga was largely a spectator in goal.

Ipswich’s hopes of mounting a comeback were extinguished within two minutes of the restart when Dowman struck again. Zubimendi’s pass found him on the edge of the six-yard box and the finish was caressed into the far corner past the departing dive of Christian Walton. Merino then curled home off the post to put the result beyond any doubt, although the biggest roar of the evening from the home fans came when Ipswich hit back through Mehmeti after he was set up by the substitute Jack Clarke.

Including Myles Lewis-Skelly – a relative veteran these days at 19 and surely in line for an England recall after an impressive start to the season – Arsenal had four teenagers on the pitch at the end after the 18-year-old Theo Julienne came on at right back. Even Ipswich had a Hale End graduate in their ranks by then as Chuba Akpom replaced Flemming, and he grabbed another consolation in injury time. But, not for the last time one suspects, it was Dowman’s name that was on everyone’s lips.