Arsenal will lodge an appeal against the red card shown to 16‑year‑old Max Dowman after the club’s shocking Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Fleetwood Town. The teenager was sent off in the 85th minute for a kick at Harrison Neal following a heavy tackle, and Arsenal were subsequently eliminated on penalties after a 1‑1 draw. Mikel Arteta spoke briefly to Dowman as he left the pitch at Highbury, and the Press Association reports that the club intends to submit the appeal documents to the Football Association by 1 p.m. on Thursday. Arsenal hope the decision will be reached before their Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
The match itself was a nightmare for the Gunners. Aaron Loupalo‑Bi opened the scoring for Fleetwood in the 21st minute, and the first half was a disjointed affair for Arsenal after Arteta made nine changes. Mid‑way through the second half, Martin Ødegaard was brought on and Viktor Gyökeres quickly equalised. However, the game was derailed when Dowman was dismissed, leaving Arsenal a man down in the final minutes. Fleetwood’s 19‑year‑old defender Conor Haughey then stepped up to score the decisive goal that sent the hosts into the quarter‑finals, a result described as one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history.
Fleetwood’s goalkeeper Jay Lynch was a hero in the shootout, keeping Arsenal’s penalty takers at bay and securing a memorable victory. Ødegaard, who had been introduced at half‑time, acknowledged the disappointment but urged the team to move on. “It’s very frustrating to go out,” he said. “Obviously, the way we played was not on the level. We need to do much, much better than we did.” He added that the club must give credit to Fleetwood for their performance and focus on the next game. “They did well, so we have to give them credit, but I think it was about us not being on our level,” Ødegaard said, stressing the need to improve.
Arteta, who has tasted success in the Carabao Cup as part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City staff and led Arsenal to the final last season, was tight‑lipped about the incident. He congratulated Fleetwood on their achievement and expressed sadness at the result, but also highlighted the importance of keeping the focus on the Premier League. Arsenal are currently level on points with Manchester City after the weekend’s fixtures, and the team will need to shake off the disappointment before their high‑profile match at Anfield. The club’s next challenge will be to maintain pressure at the top of the table while dealing with the fallout from the cup exit and the pending appeal.