Arteta warns Dowman 'this is not Disneyland' after his red card in Arsenal's shock Fleetwood defeat

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given a stern warning to teenager Max Dowman, who was sent off in the Gunners' shock League Cup defeat by Fleetwood. He told Dowman he was 'not in Disneyland'.

The fourth-round tie away to fourth-tier Fleetwood ended 1-1 in normal time. Arsenal then lost 5-3 on penalties.

Dowman was sent off five minutes before the end of normal time. He had to leave the field for aiming a kick towards Harrison Neal, although the decision looked harsh.

Arteta gave midfielder Dowman a stern word as he trudged off. His reaction was criticised by some pundits, who felt he should have been more sympathetic towards Dowman.

Dowman is now starting an immediate three-game ban for violent conduct. Arsenal lost their appeal against his red card and punishment.

An unrepentant Arteta defended his response at a pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the trip to Liverpool. He said people needed to understand the context, the relationship he has with Dowman and what they had discussed just before going out for the match.

Arteta said: 'You want to see the reaction of his team-mates? When they have to play with 10, you want to see that? What do you expect? I don't know... This is the environment and this is the reality. Otherwise, we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League.'

Dowman has been carefully nurtured at Arsenal since making his debut at just 15. Arteta said: 'We look after him so much but at the same time we're going to be demanding because he needs to earn the right to play, just like everybody else.'

Arteta added that this is not the first time. The same thing happened this month with England's Under-19s. In his words, it will continue to happen because of the way Dowman plays and the way he attracts opponents.

He said that because Dowman is 16, they have to be very protective of him, but at the same time very straight with him about what they expect of him towards the team, individuals and the club.

Arteta, himself a former Arsenal midfielder, insisted he had 'no issues' with Dowman. But he lamented the failure of the appeal. He said: 'I'm very disappointed to be fair, especially with the reckless tackles that he received, and then his reaction is minimal in relation to the action.'

Arteta's side are now level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City.