Arsenal - Max Dowman
Arsenal - Max Dowman
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Arsenal’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night ended in one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history. The League Two side won 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium.
Arsenal had 78 per cent of the possession and 26 shots to Fleetwood’s three.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the hosts the lead in the 21st minute, and Viktor Gyokeres equalised in the 50th.
It was Gyokeres’ first goal of the season, and it came after Martin Odegaard and Ben White were introduced at half-time.
In the 85th minute, 16-year-old Max Dowman was shown a straight red card for violent conduct, and the referee, Michael Salisbury, had no VAR available.
Dowman had kicked out at Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal after a heavy challenge, in a scuffle involving players from both sides.
Arsenal played on with ten men. Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved from White and Odegaard in stoppage time to force a shootout. Bruno Guimaraes then had his penalty saved, and Conor Haughey scored the winning kick, prompting a pitch invasion.
The red card now carries consequences beyond the cup exit. Dowman’s three-match suspension carries over into the Premier League.
He will miss the trip to Liverpool on Sunday 1 November, the home game against Hull City on 7 November and the visit to Newcastle United on 21 November. He can return against Manchester City on 29 November.
The ban is domestic, so he remains available for the Champions League games at Slavia Prague on 4 November and at home to Borussia Dortmund on 24 November.
Reports have emerged that Arsenal have appealed the red card, looking to overturn the suspension.
Arsenal have won an appeal of this kind before. In January 2025, an independent regulatory commission upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal for Myles Lewis-Skelly and removed his three-match suspension.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett said the referee could not ignore Dowman’s kick-out, but that Neal’s challenge deserved at least a yellow card. Neal was not booked.
Mikel Arteta said it was difficult to judge the incident on camera and that he wanted to watch it back before giving a view.
Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson criticised Arteta’s reaction on Sky Sports, saying the red card could easily have been a yellow, given Dowman’s age.