Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman was controversially sent off in the closing stages of the Gunners’ shock Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town with Mikel Arteta clearly furious
Max Dowman
Mikel Arteta was clearly furious with Dowman following his red card(Image: Getty Images)
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He might not have said it publicly, but Mikel Arteta was clearly furious with Max Dowman’s sending off against Fleetwood Town.
The Arsenal youngster was sent off in the closing stages of the Gunners’ Carabao Cup shock at the hands of League Two side Fleetwood Town after kicking out following a strong tackle.
And that triggered a mass brawl between the two sides. After Dowman was shown his red card - the first of his career - the teenager was forced to trudge off the pitch and past manager Arteta.
The Spanish coach was clearly angry and chose not to embrace his young player as he made his way down the tunnel. Instead, he decided to fire a few choice words in his direction, with a lip reader since revealing that Arteta said: "Get in the changing room, Max."
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Arteta then discussed Dowman’s dismissal in his post-match press conference. He said: “I haven’t seen it back, and with the camera you can’t really see what happens.
“The decision was made by the referee, and that’s it. Even with 10 men, we had three big chances to score. We know when we prepare the context of the match, we’re very clear on what to expect. Emotionally, we have to dominate, but we’re very clear.”
Asked what he said to Dowman, Arteta preferred to stay tight-lipped as he replied: “It’s something that we discussed before the game.”
But was the Arsenal boss right to give Dowman a scolding as he walked off the pitch? Should he instead have put an arm around his young starlet?
Have your say below…