According to a report by London Evening Standard on Wednesday October 28, 2026, Arsenal have suffered another setback after teenage winger Max Dowman was handed a three-match domestic suspension following his red card against Fleetwood Town.

The 16-year-old will miss three Premier League fixtures against Liverpool, Hull City and Newcastle United, further weakening Mikel Arteta’s attacking options amid injuries to key wingers Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis.

Arsenal endured a disappointing Tuesday night at Highbury Stadium, where they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by League Two side Fleetwood Town. The Gunners drew 1-1 before losing 5-3 in the penalty shootout. Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring for the hosts in the 21st minute before Viktor Gyokeres equalised after the interval.

Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch produced several important saves to frustrate Arsenal. He denied Ben White and Martin Odegaard late in normal time before saving Bruno Guimaraes’s penalty. Conor Haughey subsequently converted the decisive spot-kick to send Fleetwood into the quarter-finals for the first time.

Dowman’s dismissal added to Arsenal’s misery. The youngster received a straight red card late in the match after kicking out at Harrison Neal following a heavy challenge. The incident triggered a confrontation between both teams, with referee Michael Salisbury dismissing the winger for violent conduct.

The suspension takes immediate effect and includes Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool on November 1, their home meeting with Hull City on November 7 and the away fixture against Newcastle United on November 21. However, Dowman remains eligible for the Champions League encounter against Slavia Praha on November 4 because domestic suspensions do not apply to European competitions. His next possible Premier League appearance is against Manchester City on November 29.

Dowman had impressed throughout much of the contest, with Arteta previously encouraging his young players to seize opportunities while Saka remains sidelined. The Arsenal manager admitted that the incident was difficult to assess from the available camera angles.

Meanwhile, Saka is reportedly facing six to eight weeks out with a quad injury, while Tzolis continues recovering from a hamstring problem. These absences leave Arteta with fewer attacking options ahead of Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures.