Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman was sent off after kicking out at Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal during the Gunners' defeat in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Tuesday
Max Dowman is sent off against Fleetwood Town
Max Dowman was given a straight red card against Fleetwood(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
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Arsenal's appeal to overturn Max Dowman's red card against Fleetwood has been rejected, the FA have confirmed. Dowman, 16, will now serve a three-game suspension for violent conduct.
The winger reacted to a strong tackle from Harrison Neal by kicking out at the Fleetwood midfielder, and he was shown a straight red card by referee Michael Salisbury in the closing stages of Tuesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie. Fleetwood went on to win the game on penalties, booking their place in the quarter-finals for the first time in League Two club's history.
Arsenal launched their appeal on Wednesday but their case has been dismissed. A statement from the FA read: "An independent Regulatory Commission has dismissed claims of both wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment for Max Dowman.
"The Arsenal player was sent off during their EFL Cup game against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday 27 October and will be suspended for three matches. The Regulatory Commission's written reasons for its decisions will be published in due course."
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Dowman will miss the Gunners' upcoming Premier League matches against Liverpool, Hull and Newcastle. The ban means that he won't be available for a top-flight fixture until November 29 when Arsenal host Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta gave Dowman a talking-to as the 16-year-old walked off the pitch at Fleetwood before seeing a replay of the incident. Asked about what he said to Dowman, Arteta told BBC Radio 5 Live that it was 'something that we discussed already before the match.'
The Arsenal manager went on to say: "It's difficult to see on the cameras like that. So I prefer to watch it back properly and then I can assess the situation."
Dowman's absence leaves Arsenal short of wide players going into Sunday's game away to Liverpool. Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis are already sidelined.
Max Dowman
Arsenal will be without Max Dowman for three games(Image: Getty Images)
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Also missing against Fleetwood were Riccardo Calafiori and Declan Rice. "Calafiori was out, Noni was out with an ankle, and Declan was feeling a problem the other day (against Everton), which is why I had to substitute him," Arteta explained post-match.
The Gunners boss added regarding the defeat: "When we create the volume of shots and chances we did, you have to score three, four or five. You capitalise on it. If you don't, there are no margins, and that's the reality. Then you have to wait and get through the round on penalties, and we didn't do that.
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"The probability was low with the way the game was panning out, but it's football and still with low probability, there is always a chance you could be out of the cup."