Arsenal to appeal Dowman red card after Carabao Cup shock exit to League Two Fleetwood

Arsenal will appeal Max Dowman’s red card after their shock Carabao Cup elimination against League Two side Fleetwood on Tuesday, with the club submitting paperwork to the Football Association before Thursday’s 1pm deadline.

The 16-year-old was sent off in the 85th minute at Highbury for kicking out at Harrison Neal following a physical challenge, leaving Arsenal down to ten men in a match they ultimately lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Manager Mikel Arteta briefly spoke to the teenager as he left the pitch. The club hope a decision on the appeal is reached before Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Liverpool.

Arsenal had fallen behind to Aaron Loupalo-Bi’s 21st-minute strike during a disjointed first half in which Arteta made nine changes to his starting lineup. Captain Martin Odegaard was introduced at the break, and Viktor Gyokeres quickly levelled, but Dowman’s dismissal shifted the momentum. Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch was the shootout hero, and 19-year-old defender Conor Haughey converted the decisive penalty after Bruno Guimaraes missed for Arsenal — completing one of the most significant upsets in the competition’s history.

“It’s very frustrating to go out,” Odegaard said. “Obviously, the way we’ve played was not on the level. We need to do much, much better than we did. Frustrating, but congratulations to Fleetwood and we look forward to the next game already and bounce back.”

The Norwegian skipper was clear that Arsenal cannot afford to dwell on the result. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We need to move on — we have a big game at the weekend, so bouncing back at the weekend is all we can do now.”

The defeat arrives at a delicate moment in Arsenal’s season. Having drawn level on points with Manchester City in the Premier League over the weekend, Arteta’s side now face the task of resetting quickly ahead of a trip to Anfield — a fixture that carries significant weight in the title race. Arteta, who won the Carabao Cup twice as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at City and guided Arsenal to last season’s final, suffered a chastening night against opponents four divisions below them.