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Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 24, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
Arsenal’s Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night will be remembered as one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history. And one moment late in the game will be talked about all week.
With five minutes of normal time left, Max Dowman was sent off for kicking out after a heavy tackle from Harrison Neal. As the 16-year-old walked down the tunnel, Mikel Arteta was seen giving him a stern telling-off, and he gave a blunt answer when asked about it afterwards.
Paul Merson was among those who questioned Arteta’s reaction, suggesting he would have put his arm around the teenager. But there may be more to it than first appeared.
Why Mikel Arteta was so frustrated with Max Dowman
After the game, Arteta was asked on BBC Radio 5 Live what he said to Dowman as he walked off the pitch. The Arsenal manager replied: “Something that we discussed already before the match.”
He didn’t go into detail, but with Noni Madueke nursing an ankle injury — something we didn’t know before the game — Arteta was likely especially frustrated with Dowman for getting involved in such an incident. With Bukayo Saka out for a while and Christos Tzolis still sidelined, Arsenal could not afford to lose anyone else in attack. The message to his players before the game was probably: nothing silly, and don’t get drawn into such incidents.
So when Dowman kicked out, Madueke’s injury would have been on Arteta’s mind straight away. A straight red card for violent conduct usually brings a three-match domestic ban, which would rule Dowman out of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, right when Arsenal need him most. With Madueke a doubt, he would have been the obvious solution on the right.
None of that makes the decision any less harsh. Neal’s challenge was a heavy one, and plenty of fans felt a booking would have been more appropriate. Dowman’s reaction was silly, but he’s 16, and he had been one of Arsenal’s brightest players all night.
Having watched it back, Arteta may feel his reaction on the touchline was a little strong. But knowing what’s to come, it’s not hard to see why he was so frustrated.