Arteta defends angry reaction to Dowman red card: 'We are not in Disneyland'

Mikel Arteta has defended his on-pitch reaction to Max Dowman’s red card and launched a sharp criticism of the Football Association’s decision to uphold the 16-year-old’s three-match ban, following Arsenal’s shock Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Fleetwood Town.

Dowman was sent off in the 85th minute after reacting to a dangerous tackle from behind by Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal. Arteta was visibly angry with the teenager as he left the pitch, a response the Arsenal manager addressed ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match at Liverpool.

“What do you expect?” Arteta said. “That’s the level and that’s the reaction. Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s the reaction. And the reaction when I don’t win, I’m f----- off, big time. This is the environment and the reality.”

Arteta claimed the challenge could have broken Dowman’s foot and said he had warned the teenager before the match to expect physical treatment and not to retaliate. He maintained that Dowman must prove himself worthy of selection rather than expect to be shielded from the demands of senior football.

“We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League,” Arteta said. “We look after him so much but we are also demanding — he needs to earn the right to play, otherwise what are the rest of the boys going to tell me?”

Arsenal challenged the ban on two grounds — wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment — but the FA dismissed both appeals, leaving Dowman to serve the full three-game suspension. The defeat to Fleetwood itself was a significant upset, with the League Two club eliminating the Premier League side from the competition.