Mikel Arteta has said he wants to watch Max Dowman's red card incident back again after the 16-year-old was sent off in Arsenal's Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town. The Gunners were eliminated from the competition following the loss.
With the match all square, Dowman responded after a robust challenge from Harrison Neal. The teenager lashed out at his opponent, who stayed down on the turf, earning himself a red card and sparking a melee between the two teams.
Arteta's reaction on the touchline
Arteta was incensed on the touchline and was spotted exchanging heated words with Dowman as the youngster made his way towards the dressing room in the dying embers of the game.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the red card, Arteta said: "It's difficult to see on the cameras so I'd prefer to watch it back properly and then I can assess the situation."
When asked if the youngster would learn from the red card, the Arsenal boss said: "Yeah, we learn from everything."
Arteta defends team's attitude
Arteta went on to state that he couldn't fault the attitude of the players and said: "The attitude I have zero [problems with] otherwise I would be here absolutely fuming. I'm sad. I think we are all sad. We have the responsibility to carry this badge in the best possible way. It had nothing to do with effort, application or determination to go and win it, but we lacked other things to create a much bigger margin, and the ability should have been shown in the scoreline."
Pundits react to the sending off
Former Arsenal man Paul Merson felt it was a harsh sending off and said: "If they'd have had VAR they might have looked at it again. I feel for the lad. He's 16, hasn't had the greatest night, is a bit frustrated and has kicked away. I'd be interested to see what Mikel Arteta said to him when he walked off."
Fellow pundit Jobi McAnuff was also surprised by the red card but pointed towards Arteta giving the youngster some stern words. He said: "I'm really surprised. Listen, maybe you know it's a bit of naivety, he's a young lad. But he [Arteta] gives him a proper talking to as he goes down the tunnel. Clearly not happy with that ill-discipline. But we do have to remember he's a young boy - he's a kid - in a really high-pressure situation."
