Max Dowman found himself sent off during Arsenal's loss to Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening, with Mikel Arteta opening up on Michael Salisbury's decision

Mikel Arteta has explained that he remains "very disappointed" that Max Dowman was sent off against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday evening. Arsenal suffered a shock penalty shootout loss to the Fishermen in the Carabao Cup, with the game having finished 1-1 in normal time.

Summer signing Bruno Guimaraes squandered a crucial spot kick, with Jay Lynch diving low and hard to his left to make the save. Conor Haughey then converted coolly to tip the shootout 5-3 in Fleetwood's favour, as the League Two side advanced to the quarter-finals.

There, they will take on Everton on December 15. However, the shock defeat wasn't the only headline; Dowman's red card late on sent football fans into a frenzy. With just four minutes remaining, the 16-year-old was dispossessed by Harrison Neal on the byline, and the Fleetwood defender trapped Dowman's leg in the process.

The teenager reacted instantly by kicking out at Neal, sparking a fracas among players. Salisbury then responded by brandishing a red card Dowman's way, with Arteta seemingly furious at the decision.

And now, the Spaniard has doubled down on his criticism of the official. Speaking in his pre-Liverpool press conference on Friday, he said: "Very disappointed to be fair especially with the reckless tackle that he received.

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"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."

Speaking about his fiery reaction toward Dowman, meanwhile, Arteta added: "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.

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"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 appealed the three-match ban that Dowman faces as a result of his red card, only to see their challenge rejected. His dismissal resulted from 'violent conduct,' which, according to the rules 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."

It means that the midfielder will miss Sunday's trip to Anfield, as well as their upcoming matches against Hull City and Newcastle United. However, he is not the only expected absentee.

Bukayo Saka will miss the clash as a result of a muscular injury sustained during Arsenal's Champions League draw with Bayern Munich earlier this month. Arteta said of the winger: "He needed another scan to see the amount of fluid there was resolving, afterwards we will know more about it."