Max Dowman was sent off during Arsenal's Carabao Cup loss to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday evening, with Mikel Arteta venting his frustrations

Mikel Arteta has revealed he remains "very disappointed" that Max Dowman was sent off against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday evening. Arsenal suffered a stunning penalty shootout defeat to the Fishermen in the Carabao Cup, with the contest having ended 1-1 after normal time.

Bruno Guimaraes missed a crucial spot kick; Jay Lynch diving low and hard to his left to save it. Conor Haughey then converted calmly, swinging the shootout 5-3 in Fleetwood's favour, as the League Two outfit progressed to the quarter-finals.

There, they will face Everton on December 15. However, the shock elimination wasn't the only thing dominating the headlines; Dowman's late red card sent football supporters into a frenzy.

With just four minutes remaining, Harrison Neal dispossessed the 16-year-old on the byline, with the Fleetwood defender catching Dowman's leg in the process. The teenager reacted immediately by lashing out at Neal, triggering a confrontation amongst the players.

Salisbury subsequently responded by producing a red card for Dowman, with Arteta visibly incensed by the ruling. The Spaniard has now doubled down on his condemnation of the decision.

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Speaking at his pre-Liverpool press conference 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.

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"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.

"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 is 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 be absent for Sunday's fixture at Anfield, along with forthcoming matches against Hull City and Newcastle United. He is not, however, the only anticipated absentee.

Bukayo Saka will be absent from the fixture due to a muscular injury picked up during Arsenal's Champions League stalemate 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."