"We're Not in Disneyland" – Arteta Defends His Reaction to Max Dowman's Red Card

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended the stern stance he took after Max Dowman was sent off in the shock Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town, insisting: "We're not in Disneyland."

The young Dowman was shown a straight red card after reacting rashly to a heavy challenge from a Fleetwood player, and Arsenal went on to be knocked out by the fourth-tier side on penalties. The talented attacking midfielder, who operates as a number 10, had also been sent off for a similar incident while playing for England Under-19s during the last international break.

Arteta, who made no attempt to hide his anger towards Dowman on the touchline, stood by his reaction. The youngster's suspension rules him out of Arsenal's next three domestic matches, including Sunday's crucial trip to Anfield.

"Sometimes, if you saw the reactions my mum and dad had towards me, you might say: 'I didn't like that reaction,'" the Spaniard said. "For me, that was the way to be myself. Right or wrong, that was my reaction. Do you want to know how I react when I don't win? I get incredibly angry. We have to be ready for that. This is the real world and this is our environment; otherwise we'd be living in Disneyland. We're not in Disneyland, we're in the Premier League, and that is the standard. We look after Dowman with more care than you can imagine. But at the same time, we will demand from him what we demand from everyone, because he has to earn that shirt. Otherwise, what would the other players say to me? You have to be fair."

Meanwhile, Arsenal have failed to win any of their last 13 Premier League matches away at Liverpool (5 draws, 8 defeats) since a 2-0 victory in the 2012-13 season. The Gunners, who have never gone 14 consecutive league games without a win at Anfield in their history, are aiming to end that run on Sunday.

Looking ahead to the game, Arteta said: "This is a great opportunity for us. When I arrived, there were many stadiums where we hadn't won for 18, 20, 22 years, and we've broken those chains at all of them. On Sunday we have another chance like that. We're expecting a big game and we're really looking forward to it. We haven't won there for 14 years, and now it's time to do it."