Arsenal will lodge their appeal against Max Dowman's red card by 1pm on Thursday and hope for a verdict before Sunday's Premier League trip to Liverpool, with the 16-year-old facing a three-match domestic suspension if the dismissal stands.

Dowman was sent off in the 85th minute of Thursday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Fleetwood Town for violent conduct, having reacted to a heavy challenge from Harrison Neal. BBC Sport reports that the teenager did not fully kick out but that his foot made contact with Neal. The tie finished 1-1 and League Two Fleetwood won 5-3 on penalties.

Simon Collings of The Sun reported the appeal, with Arseblog News noting that The Telegraph has also reported it. The timing of the process rests with the FA, though Arsenal are said to be hopeful of a decision before the weekend.

Gallagher expects the appeal to fail

Dermot Gallagher, the former Premier League referee, told Sky Sports News he does not believe Arsenal will succeed. "I don't, because of the aggressiveness of Dowman, and you can see the intent," he said. "I think it will fail."

Gallagher compared the incident with Cole Palmer's challenge on Mateus Fernandes at the weekend, which brought only a booking, and argued that Dowman's was more aggressive. "He knows what he's doing," Gallagher said. "He almost brings his knee up in a kicking action."

He did, though, accept that Neal should have been penalised. "Although Neal gets the ball, he's too aggressive," Gallagher said, describing it as a reckless challenge in which the Fleetwood player had "little regard to the safety of Dowman". In his view the tackle warranted a free-kick and a yellow card.

Merson: 'it wasn't a red card'

Paul Merson, speaking on Sky Sports, took a different view of the dismissal itself. "In my opinion, it wasn't a red card," he said, arguing that Neal's challenge was an old-fashioned one in which he won the ball, and that the reaction of the players influenced the decision.

Merson's greater concern was what awaits Dowman. "The kid's 16 years of age," he said, warning that opponents will now look to unsettle him and that he will be kicked throughout his career. "He's got to be better than that."

Arteta's reaction under scrutiny

Merson criticised the moment when Mikel Arteta moved close to Dowman and spoke to him as Dowman was leaving the field, arguing that the manager ought to have shown the teenager a supportive arm around the shoulder. Asked what he had said, Arteta told reporters: "It was something that we discussed before the game," and declined to go into more detail when pressed.

On whether Dowman had something to learn, Arteta said: "When we prepared the context of the match, we were very clear on the things to respect, the things that emotionally we have to dominate."

Karl Robinson, the former MK Dons and Charlton Athletic manager, told Sky Sports that appealing was a smart move. "That is genius leadership, for me," he said, describing it as a way of showing a young player that the club backs him.

What a ban would mean

A three-match domestic ban would rule Dowman out of Liverpool away, the home fixture with Hull City and the trip to Newcastle United, while leaving him available for the Champions League tie with Slavia Praha in between. The Daily Cannon notes that if the process ran past Sunday, Dowman would remain selectable until a decision was reached, though that is considered unlikely.

Arsenal's options on the flanks are already stretched.

Dowman, who made his second start of the season on Thursday, was also sent off while playing for England Under-19s earlier this month.

Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, resized.