Max Dowman red card appeal will fail says Dermot Gallagher

1. Neal commits to a strong tackle on Dowman and wins the ball.
2. Dowman reacts, kicking out at the defender.
3. The referee shows a red card for violent conduct.
4. Arsenal lose the tie on penalties and lodge an appeal.

Gallagher expects the appeal to fail

Dermot Gallagher, the former Premier League referee, told Sky Sports News the challenge will not succeed. His reasoning is mechanical rather than emotional, built on the angle of Dowman's leg and the intent he reads into it.

"I don't, because of the aggressiveness of Dowman, and you can see the intent. I think it will fail."

Gallagher separated the incident from Cole Palmer's collision with Mateus Fernandes on Saturday. He placed Dowman's action higher on the aggression scale. "He almost brings his knee up in a kicking action," he said.

Harrison Neal's challenge and the free-kick Arsenal did not get

Gallagher's reading of the phase does not stop at Dowman. He said Neal's tackle warranted a free-kick to Arsenal and a yellow card. Neal made contact with the ball first, but Gallagher judged the follow-through reckless.

"It's a reckless challenge and he's had little regard to the safety of Dowman."

That framing matters for the appeal. If the panel accepts the initial challenge was itself a bookable offence, Arsenal can argue the sending-off came inside a sequence the referee had already failed to punish. Gallagher still expects the panel to reject that line.

Paul Merson and Jobi McAnuff on the Arteta exchange

Paul Merson called the dismissal harsh. He described Neal's tackle as old-fashioned, said Dowman's foot was caught, and argued the reaction of the players shaped the referee's decision.

Merson's larger point was developmental. He said Dowman, at 16, will be targeted for the rest of his career, and noted a previous sending-off for England against the USA.

"People are going to look at the game now, and they're going to go, 'Right, we've got to upset him. Try and get inside him.'"

Both Merson and Jobi McAnuff criticised Mikel Arteta's words to Dowman as the teenager passed the dugouts. Arteta said only that it was "something that we discussed before the game," and declined to elaborate when pressed.

Asked whether Dowman had something to learn, Arteta said the staff had been clear before kick-off about "the things that emotionally we have to dominate." McAnuff said he could not understand the reaction and stressed Dowman's age.

"Yes, he's a fantastic talent, but he will make mistakes along the way. I didn't like the reaction at all."

What to watch before the Liverpool fixture

Three items. The verdict, which Arsenal hope lands before Sunday. Dowman's availability for the trip to Liverpool if the appeal is rejected. And whether Arteta adjusts how he handles the teenager in public.

Merson said Arteta would handle the moment differently if given a second chance. That claim is opinion, not a reported change of policy.

The original report is from skysports.com.