Mikel Arteta appeared to give Max Dowman a dressing-down after the 16-year-old was sent off during Arsenal’s League Cup shock defeat by League Two side Fleetwood Town. 

The 16-year-old was shown a straight red card late in the fourth-round tie after reacting angrily to a challenge from Harrison Neal.

Neal slid in on Dowman, who appeared to kick out at the Fleetwood player in response, sparking a melee between the two sides.

Here Telegraph Sport breaks down what exactly happened:

What happened?

The 16-year-old was battling for the ball with a number of Fleetwood players before Harrison Neal committed a follow-through tackle on the Arsenal midfielder. Dowman felt the force of the tackle and his legs became tangled with the Fleetwood midfielder. In an effort to get away, he pushed his leg into Neal out of frustration, which led to a melee between both sets of players.

With no VAR at the League Two side’s stadium, the referee Michael Salisbury decided to show a straight red card to Dowman whilst only giving Neal a yellow for his involvement. The exchange led Sky Sports commentator Andy Hinchcliffe to say: “This is amazing.”

What did Arteta do?

Dowman cut a dejected figure as he made his way off the pitch, using his jersey to wipe his face while also scratching his head in shock at what had just happened. Arteta stared him down as he walked towards the touchline with his arms crossed before angrily exchanging words with the teenager and nodding in the direction of the tunnel in a dismissive manner.

What did Arteta say?

Arteta was reluctant to elaborate but when asked on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “Something that we discussed already before the match.”

What was the pundits’ reaction?

Paul Merson, on punditry duty for Sky Sports, added: “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. This didn’t look good to me at all.”

Co-pundit Jobi McAnuff added: “He gave him a proper talking to. Clearly not happy.”

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “The best way to describe it is a forceful League Two tackle and Premier League reaction to it. You don’t often see people flying like that with challenges in the Premier League. They do act a certain way. In League Two, it’s part and parcel with football.”

More to follow...