Jamie Redknapp has criticised Mikel Arteta’s ‘very aggressive’ reaction to Max Dowman’s sending off against Fleetwood Town, claiming the Arsenal manager should simply have ‘said nothing’.

Dowman paid the price after losing his composure in the 86th minute of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie, with the scoreline locked at 1-1 at Fleetwood’s Highbury Stadium.

Harrison Neal caught Dowman’s standing leg with a hefty challenge from behind on the touchline and replays clearly showed the 16-year-old Arsenal forward kick out at the Fleetwood midfielder in the heat of the moment.

Referee Michael Salisbury wasted little time in showing Dowman a straight red for violent conduct and League Two outfit Fleetwood would go on to prevail on penalties in one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history.

The reigning Premier League champions have since launched an appeal against Dowman’s sending off. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the teenager will be suspended for the club’s next three top-flight matches against Liverpool, Hull City and Newcastle.

While Fleetwood’s against-all-odds win was undoubtedly the story of the fourth round, Arteta’s fiery meeting with Dowman on the edge of his technical area proved another major talking point from the contest.

Before Dowman made his way down the tunnel, the grim-faced Spaniard appeared to mutter a few choice words in the attacker’s ear, a reaction which has proven divisive amongst Arsenal’s fanbase.

Asked what he had said to Dowman, Arteta told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘Something that we discussed already before the match.’

On Dowman’s red card, the Arsenal boss added: ‘It’s difficult to see on the cameras like that.

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‘I prefer to watch it back properly and then I can assess the situation.’

Giving his thoughts on Tuesday’s absorbing cup tie, former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Redknapp passed on his congratulations to Fleetwood before focussing in on Dowman’s sending off.

According to Redknapp, Arteta’s reaction was over the top and he should have waited until he was in the changing room to give Dowman a dressing down.

‘I don’t think you can do that,’ Redknapp – who won the League Cup with Liverpool in 1995 – said on The Overlap.

‘That has to go back in the dressing room, you have to wait.

‘It was a very aggressive manner towards him. Just say nothing.

‘They should have put that game to bed before 85 minutes anyway.’

Redknapp felt Fleetwood’s Neal was somewhat fortunate to escape unpunished after his ‘dangerous’ challenge on Dowman.

‘It was a dangerous tackle,’ the ex-England international added.

‘In our day, you’d just go, “What a tackle”, you’d be celebrating that one.

‘Every time you hook a player, you’re just risking hurting their knee and I suppose Dowman has just reacted.’

Tim Sherwood, sat opposite Redknapp in The Overlap studio, hopes Dowman is able to see the experience as part of a ‘learning curve’ at the start of his career.

‘He’s a wonderful talent, we all know that, and it’s a learning curve for him,’ the former Tottenham manager chimed in.

‘Unfortunately he’s going to pay the price because that’s where his game-time is going to come from, playing in that competition.

‘Now, I know Bukayo Saka is injured so I hope he gets a few more opportunities but win and learn as a kid, win and learn.

‘It was a poor tackle and he’s probably never had tackles like that in the Under-21s.

Sherwood was somewhat critical of Salisbury’s handling of the coming together in the closing stages and believes the referee wanted to ‘make himself famous’ with his decision to send Dowman off.

‘Dowman has pushed him off him but he’s asked the referee to make a decision,’ Sherwood added.

‘He’s decided to make himself famous, “This boy could be special”, and he’ll be telling his grandkids, “I sent him off, you know! I sent him off, Max Dowman! Remember that? Fleetwood”, and his grandkids won’t believe him.’

Arsenal will look to quickly dust themselves off from their midweek upset ahead of their mouthwatering encounter away to Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.

Arteta’s men sit second in the table ahead of Sunday’s showdown at Anfield, with Manchester City top of goal difference after eight games.