Dowman was shown a straight red card in the 85th minute after he kicked out following a bad tackle on him.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to disclose his conversation with teenage winger Max Dowman after he was sent off against Fleetwood Town.
Arsenal were eliminated from the competition via a penalty shootout on Tuesday night after the game ended 1–1 in regulation time.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring for the League Two side, before Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres levelled the game for the Gunners after the break.
In the 85th minute, Dowman was shown a straight red card after he kicked out following a bad tackle on him.
As the teenager walked back to the dressing room, Arteta could be seen speaking to the 16-year-old.
ALSO READ: Arteta blames ‘poor goal’ for Arsenal’s shock Carabao Cup exit to fourth-tier Fleetwood
When asked after the game what he said to Dowman, the Arsenal gaffer told reporters: “It was something that we discussed before the game.”
The Gunners boss, however, refused to reveal further details when pressed.
Reacting to the saga, British pundit and former Arsenal player Paul Merson frowned upon Arteta’s reaction to Dowman, saying the Spanish tactician should have put an arm around him.
He said: “If that’s [Viktor] Gyökeres, who’s an experienced international, he [Arteta] isn’t doing that — but he does that to a 16-year-old kid?
”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. 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 [Arteta] could have that back, he’d do it differently.”
