Mikel Arteta has admitted he’s “very disappointed” after Arsenal’s appeal against Max Dowman’s red card was rejected.

The 16-year-old was sent off for kicking out at Harrison Neal late in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood, and an independent regulatory commission dismissed Arsenal’s claims of both wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment on Thursday. Dowman will now miss Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, as well as the home game against Hull and the visit to Newcastle.

As Dowman left the pitch at Fleetwood, Arteta was seen having a stern word with him. In Friday’s press conference, he explained what that was all about.

Mikel Arteta explains his reaction to Max Dowman’s red card

“My reaction comes in a moment of heat and extreme frustration because I know the consequences of that, especially for Max,” Arteta said.

The likelihood of Dowman being targeted by the Fleetwood players was something they’d already talked about before the game. “We discussed it just before we went out, and it will continue to happen unfortunately because of how he attracts opponents,” he added. “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 club.

“We spoke about it before the game. You have to understand the context. We’re not in Disneyland, we’re in the Premier League.”

Arteta was also keen to stress there’s no problem between him and Dowman. “I had a talk with him yesterday. There are no issues at all,” he said. “I’ve done it. That’s why I’m so protective of these things and young players, as we have all made these mistakes.”

He compared it to how his own parents treated him growing up. “If you see the reaction from my mother and father with me sometimes, you’d say ‘you don’t like that reaction’, but for me it was the best reaction ever as it enabled me to be who I am.”

Mikel Arteta ‘very disappointed’ with Max Dowman appeal

Arteta was clearly disappointed with Dowman, but he still believes the punishment was unfair. When asked about the appeal verdict, the Arsenal boss said: “Very disappointed, to be fair, especially with the reckless tackle that he received. His reaction is minimal compared to the action.”

“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.”

It’s the same point we made on Friday morning: punish the dangerous tackle, not just the reaction. The FA say the commission’s written reasons will be published in due course.

For now, Dowman’s ban starts at Anfield, where Arsenal will already be without Bukayo Saka. There was better news on the injury front, though, with Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis all back in training.