Merson accuses Arteta of double standards over public dressing-down of 16-year-old Dowman

Paul Merson has accused Mikel Arteta of applying double standards after the Arsenal manager publicly confronted 16-year-old Max Dowman following his straight red card in the club’s Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Fleetwood on Tuesday.

Downman was sent off in the latter stages of a 1-1 draw that ended with Arsenal eliminated on penalties — one of the most embarrassing cup exits in the club’s recent history. The teenager had been on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from behind by Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal and retaliated by kicking out, sparking a brawl. Referee Michael Salisbury showed Dowman a straight red, and Arteta was visibly furious as the youngster walked off the pitch and headed down the tunnel.

Merson, a former Arsenal player, took direct aim at Arteta’s response. “You have to remember he is 16 years of age — he’s a kid,” he said. “He wasn’t having the greatest of nights so he’s going to get frustrated. He gets the chance every now and then to play for Arsenal. He probably feels he should be playing more. He gets the chance tonight, isn’t doing too great. It’s an old-fashioned tackle.”

Merson went further, suggesting the reaction would have been very different had a more established player been involved. “If that’s Viktor Gyokeres, he isn’t doing that. That’s what I don’t like. If it’s an experienced international, I don’t think he does that. He’s a human being. He’s not the last person to get sent off for Arsenal and he’s not the first.”

Fellow pundit Jobi McAnuff echoed those concerns, saying he was surprised by the severity of Arteta’s public rebuke. “Listen, maybe you know it’s a bit of naivety, he’s a young lad. But he gives him a proper talking to as he goes down the tunnel,” McAnuff said. “We do have to remember he’s a young boy — he’s a kid — in a really high-pressure situation.”

McAnuff also offered some mitigation for Dowman’s reaction on the pitch. “It’s not really a full kick — his knee’s kind of already in contact with the player, it’s almost like a flick out really after the meaty challenge. It’s frustration from Max Dowman after a bit of a difficult night.”

Dowman will now serve a three-match suspension as a result of the dismissal, a significant setback for a teenager still establishing himself in and around Arsenal’s first-team setup.