Having made last year's Carabao Cup final, Arsenal were expected to ease past League Two side Fleetwood Town in the Fourth Round. Things couldn't have been further from the truth, however, as the Gunners crashed out on penalties.

Fleetwood started the night 84 places above their opponents in the English pyramid but managed to stun Mikel Arteta's side in the 21st minute as Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring. After the break, Viktor Gyokeres drew Arsenal level, but the Premier League champions were unable to make the most of any further opportunities.

Max Dowman then picked up a controversial red card shortly before the full-time whistle was blown. With the match tied at 1-1, the game went to penalties, with Bruno Guimaraes the only player to miss, confirming a historic win for Fleetwood Town.

Arteta's Touchline Incident With Dowman

Beyond the obvious shock defeat, the main talking point after the game was Dowman's red card. In particular, Arteta caught the eye with his reaction as his teenage star, one of the best young players in world football, walked off the pitch. The Spaniard appeared to angrily shout something in the direction of the teenager.

Considering the player's age – and that Harrison Neal was perhaps just as guilty with his strong challenge sparking the melee – some have questioned the wisdom of Arteta's touchline behaviour.

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson, for example, claimed on Sky Sports that the red card was harsh and suggested that the manager may regret his reaction, noting: "If that's [Viktor] Gyokeres, 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."

Fellow Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff added: "I didn't like the reaction at all."

Lipreader Claims Arteta Said Six-Words To Dowman

Arteta refused to give much away when speaking about the incident post-game. Instead, he somewhat cryptically noted, "It was something that we discussed before the game."

With the Spaniard not revealing exactly what he told Dowman, lip-reading expert Nicola Hickling has now stated what she believes was said as the teenager walked off the pitch. As quoted by Football.London, she claimed:

"Get in the changing room, Max."

It remains unclear if the Gunners will appeal the red card. As things stand, Dowman will now miss the next three Premier League games. This means he won't be available for matches against Liverpool, Hull City and Newcastle United.

With Bukayo Saka out injured, these games would have been a great chance for Dowman to get more senior minutes as quite probably the first-choice alternative to Noni Madueke on the right wing. Now, though, the 16-year-old looks set to spend the coming weeks on the sidelines.

With that in mind, not to mention his team's struggles against Fleetwood, it's little wonder Arteta was so frustrated when Dowman was sent off. That said, when speaking after the game, he didn't blame the referee, instead noting:

"I haven’t seen it back, and with the camera you can’t really see what happens. The decision was made by the referee, and that’s it. Even with 10 men, we had three big chances to score."

When asked if Dowman's talent could see him targeted by opponents in the future, he added: "We know when we prepare the context of the match, we’re very clear on what to expect. Emotionally, we have to dominate, but we’re very clear."