Mikel Arteta has reiterated his disappointment over Max Dowman's red card against Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup, with the 16-year-old set to miss Sunday's clash with Liverpool

Mikel Arteta has disclosed he remains "very disappointed" that Max Dowman received his marching orders against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night.

Arsenal endured a shock penalty shootout elimination to the Fishermen in the Carabao Cup, following a 1-1 stalemate after 90 minutes.

Bruno Guimaraes failed to convert a vital penalty; Jay Lynch throwing himself low and forcefully to his left to deny him. Conor Haughey subsequently slotted home with composure, tipping the shootout 5-3 in Fleetwood's direction, as the League Two side advanced to the last eight.

There, they will meet Everton on December 15. Yet, the surprise exit wasn't the sole matter capturing attention; Dowman's late dismissal sent football fans into uproar.

With merely four minutes left on the clock, Harrison Neal robbed the 16 year old near the touchline, with the Fleetwood defender making contact with Dowman's leg during the challenge. The youngster responded instantly by kicking out at Neal, sparking a melee between the players.

Salisbury then reacted by brandishing a red card for Dowman, with Arteta clearly furious about the verdict. The Spaniard has now reinforced his criticism of the call, reports Football London.

Addressing journalists at his pre-Liverpool media briefing on Friday, he said: "Very disappointed to be fair especially with the reckless tackle that he received. His reaction is minimal in compared to the action.

"It is what it is, we have put every argument on the table to make a case for it. Max's action is clear, obviously we have a very different opinion, you have to read into the context, the age, the player.

"It could have been really bad and we're really lucky today that he doesn't have a broken foot."

Reflecting on his heated response towards Dowman, Arteta continued: "My reaction comes in a moment of heat and extreme frustration because I know the consequences of that, especially for Max.

"We discussed it just before we went out and it will continue happen unfortunately because of how he attracts opponents.

"He's 16 and we have to be very protective of him but also very straight with what we expect from him towards the team, individual and the clubs."

Arsenal had lodged an appeal against the three-match suspension handed to Dowman following his red card, only for their challenge to be thrown out. His sending-off stemmed from 'violent conduct,' which, under the laws of the game, occurs when a participant "uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball."

As a result, the midfielder will be unavailable for Sunday's clash at Anfield, as well as upcoming fixtures against Hull City and Newcastle United. He is not, however, the sole player expected to be missing from the squad.

Bukayo Saka is set to miss the match after sustaining a muscular injury during Arsenal's Champions League draw with Bayern Munich earlier this month.

Arteta commented on the winger's condition: "He needed another scan to see the amount of fluid there was resolving, afterwards we will know more about it."