What was said in the tunnel
Mikel Arteta is keeping the conversation private. Cameras caught the Arsenal manager leaning toward Max Dowman and speaking to him as the 16-year-old walked off after a red card in the Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood. Asked what he said, Arteta called it something the two had discussed before kick-off and left it there.
Dowman was sent off for violent conduct after allegedly lashing out at Fleetwood defender Harrison Neal. The incident followed two 50-50 challenges between the pair and a brawl, shortly before the League Two side won the fourth-round tie 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Arteta said he had not seen the incident on camera and that the decision was the referee’s. Sky Sports co-commentator Andy Hinchcliffe described the card as harsh.
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Pundits split from the manager
Paul Merson did not like the tunnel scene. He said Arteta would never speak that way to an experienced international like Viktor Gyokeres and that he would have put an arm around the teenager instead, noting that Arsenal were still in the match at the time.
Jobi McAnuff took a firmer line on the player but the same line on the manager. He called Dowman’s conduct petulant and naive, then stressed that a 16-year-old is bound to make mistakes and that Dowman could be a future star at the club. Arteta, he said, “didn’t get that quite right.”
The result itself
Arteta credited Fleetwood for the win and said his players’ attitude was not the issue. The problem was a lack of ruthlessness. Arsenal put 19 shots off target, with Kai Havertz missing three or four good chances, and Arteta said they still created three big openings with ten men.
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