Fleetwood Town v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, beaten 5-3 on penalties by League Two side Fleetwood Town after a 1-1 draw at Highbury.
It was a night to forget, and it ended with Arsenal down to 10 men. With five minutes of normal time remaining, Max Dowman was sent off after appearing to kick out at a Fleetwood player who had tackled him hard, and Mikel Arteta was seen having a stern word with the 16-year-old as he walked off.
Mikel Arteta on Max Dowman’s red card
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arteta was asked about the decision, which pundits and commentators felt was harsh. He refused to give a verdict until he had seen it properly, but didn’t sound too impressed with Dowman.
“It’s difficult to see on the cameras like that, so I prefer to watch it back properly and then I can assess the situation,” he said.
When it was put to him that Dowman is only 16 and will learn from the experience, Arteta’s response was short and blunt: “Yeah, we all learn from everything, yeah.”
He was more expansive on the performance, and while he couldn’t fault his side’s effort, he was clearly frustrated that they didn’t make their dominance count. “I cannot fault at all the attitude of the players,” Arteta said. “But obviously we insisted so much, we had so much of the ball, so many chances, so many shots, and if you want the margins to be bigger than going to the penalties, obviously you need to capitalise on that, and we didn’t.”
He also made it clear how much the defeat hurt. “Attitude-wise I have zero [complaints], otherwise I would be here absolutely fuming,” he said. “I’m sad. I think we are all sad. We have a massive responsibility to carry this badge in the best possible way.”
Dowman had been one of Arsenal’s best players before the red card. If he receives the standard three-match domestic ban for violent conduct, he’ll miss Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, a decision many fans feel was really harsh.