There was no arm around the shoulder, no consolatory word in the ear from Mikel Arteta for Max Dowman after Arsenal’s literal child received the first red card of his senior career in Tuesday’s humiliating Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood Town.

Instead, Arsenal’s manager kept his arms firmly crossed, cocking his head in the direction of the teenager before barking out a few choice words. “It’s something that we discussed before the game,” Arteta seethed by way of explanation for what he had said.

It had been a frustrating evening for all the visitors. After tumbling 1–0 down in the first half to a goal cheaply given away by fellow teenager Marli Salmon, Arsenal spent the rest of the contest raining down attacks on Fleetwood’s precariously guarded net, racking up 26 shots, with seven on target.

Dowman was involved in some of the most glaring misses, scuffing one clear opening across goal in the first half before teeing up Kai Havertz for a glorious chance which the ephemeral German conspired to squander.

Beyond his own wastefulness, Dowman was riled by a robust physical approach throughout the contest. Referee Michael Salisbury only whistled for one foul on the winger, which no doubt added to his frustrations, and that came in the 85th minute, with the score locked at 1–1.

Harrison Neal leaped into a full-blooded lunge by the touchline, scissoring the teenager’s standing leg. Dowman reacted, kicking out at the midfielder amid an almighty scrum of bodies. By the time the crowd dispersed, the referee was on the scene to brandish a red card.

As Dowman trudged down the tunnel, the jeers from a sell-out home crowd were bolstered by Arteta’s shouting. “We know when we prepare the context of the match, we’re very clear on what to expect,” the manager curtly added. “Emotionally, we have to dominate, but we’re very clear.”

While Arteta’s verbal parry was a consequence of the moment, its roots go a lot deeper.

Dowman Ignores Arteta’s Repeated Message

“Emotional dominance” has been a key talking point for Arteta this season.

Arsenal’s success under the details-obsessed coach has been defined by doing the simple things well. Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor tellingly hailed the Gunners as “the best team in the country, the most organized team in the country, the best at the basics.” Keeping your emotions in check is one of the basics that Arteta has focused on lately.

“We have to be emotionally dominant regardless of what the context is. It’s easy to say, very difficult actually to do,” the Basque boss explained earlier this month.

“It’s owning the moment, leading that moment and making sure that we are in the emotional state that the game requires and not something else,” Arteta added. “If the game requires a reaction, energy and spirit, a boldness, a courage to deliver something else or change it, that’s the way we have to act.

“If the game demands everybody to bring the temperature down, we have to be able to do that. In order to do that, we need to really understand what is happening.”

Dowman’s Recent Red Mist

This was Dowman’s first red card for Arsenal but his second dismissal of the month. The England U-19 international was dismissed in the second half of a 2–1 win over the U.S. during a behind-closed-doors friendly.

The official explanation for his red card was not provided, but the Daily Mail report that it was for “a little kick out when a player went past him.” Much like his exit against Fleetwood, that international red was described as “on the harsh side.”

Two events in entirely different circumstances does not make a trend, but this will not be the last time that Dowman is on the end of physical intimidation. At 16, he’ll have plenty of time to learn the art of managing his emotions—as Arteta proved with his own outburst, even 44-year-olds can let the heat of the moment get the better of them.