Carabao Cup shock and a costly red card
The Premier League champions suffered a monumental upset on Tuesday, crashing out 5-3 on penalties against League Two side Fleetwood Town following a 1-1 draw. Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring for the hosts before Viktor Gyokeres restored parity in front of a packed Highbury crowd. Despite boasting 78 per cent possession and registering 26 shots to Fleetwood's three, Arsenal failed to find a winner.
The tie completely shifted in the 85th minute. Sixteen-year-old winger Dowman was shown a straight red card after kicking out at Harrison Neal in retaliation to an aggressive challenge.
As the teenager left the pitch, Arteta appeared visibly furious. The Spanish manager directed strong words at the youngster, expressing clear frustration over his failure to handle the heavy tackle.
'This didn't look good to me at all'
Watching the touchline incident unfold, former Arsenal star Merson was highly critical of Arteta’s approach. Speaking on Sky Sports, the pundit argued that the manager was unnecessarily harsh on the young prospect.
"I’d be more interested to see what Mikel Arteta said to him when he was walking off. This didn’t look good to me at all," Merson stated. "If that’s [Viktor] Gyokeres, who’s an experienced international, he isn’t doing that - but he does that to a 16-year-old kid?"
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Merson felt a more supportive approach was required, noting that the cup tie was still finely poised at that moment.
"He’s not the last person to get sent off for Arsenal, nor the first. If it was me, I’d have put my arm around him," he added. "It’s still 1-1, they’re still in the game. We all say things in life we wish we hadn’t and if he could have that back, he’d do it differently."
Arteta defends pre-match warnings
While Arteta refused to disclose his exact words to Dowman, he hinted that the squad had been explicitly warned about the physical nature of their lower-league opposition. The Arsenal boss suggested his players were briefed on keeping their composure amid rough treatment.
Addressing the incident after the match, Arteta simply explained: "It was something that we discussed before the game."
He further emphasised the importance of mental discipline against such opponents. "When we prepared the context of the match, we were very clear on the things to respect, the things that emotionally we have to dominate," Arteta added. "It was very clear."
Bitter pill to swallow for the Gunners
Following a dramatic shootout where Jay Lynch denied Bruno Guimaraes before Conor Haughey converted the decisive spot-kick, Arsenal must swiftly regroup. Being eliminated by a team sitting 18th in English football's fourth tier will undoubtedly sting the champions, forcing a period of reflection on their squad depth and emotional control.
Arteta will need to manage the fallout carefully, particularly regarding Dowman's integration back into the first-team fold after a difficult night. The Gunners have no time to dwell on the humiliation, however, as they must immediately bounce back and shift their focus to a blockbuster Premier League clash against Liverpool.