Arsenal: Mikel Arteta called out for reaction to Max Dowman red card

Arteta berated 16-year-old Dowman after his red card in the Carabao Cup loss to Fleetwood, drawing criticism from Merson who felt the dismissal was harsh.

Arsenal suffered one of the Carabao Cup's greatest upsets, losing to League Two side Fleetwood Town on penalties at Highbury Stadium. The defeat was compounded by Max Dowman's red card in the final stages of normal time for appearing to kick out at Harrison Neal, leaving Arsenal to play the last five minutes plus stoppage time and the shootout with ten men.

As Dowman left the pitch, manager Mikel Arteta leaned towards the teenager with his arms crossed and delivered angry words. Former Arsenal player Paul Merson criticised both the decision and Arteta's reaction on Sky Sports, arguing the red card could easily have been a yellow and that Arteta should have supported the 16-year-old rather than berating him. Merson suggested Arteta would not have reacted the same way to an experienced international player.

Arteta later explained his reaction, revealing he had spoken to Dowman before the match about keeping calm in certain situations, suggesting the teenager had been warned about his discipline.