Adam Lallana to escape Premier League ban after being sent off for violent clash during Liverpool Under-23s match
England international will not be suspended for this weekend's clash against former club Southampton
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Your support makes all the difference.Adam Lallana will not face a Premier League suspension despite being sent off for violent conduct in a Liverpool Under-23s match against Tottenham on Monday night, with images revealing the England international grabbing an opponent by the head from behind.
Lallana was given a run-out with the Under-23s as part of his return from injury, with Jürgen Klopp keen to ease him back into full competition after suffering two injury setbacks this season.
But Lallana’s night ended early in the Premier League 2 clash with Spurs’ Under-23 side after he was shown a straight red card for grabbing midfielder George Marsh by the neck after growing angry at a number of heavy tackles on him.
The incident, which occurred shortly after the hour mark with Liverpool losing 1-0, saw the 29-year-old accuse Marsh of elbowing him in a collision. He responded by racing after Marsh and grabbing him from behind, with images showing Lallana grappling him by the neck.
The 33-capped international was dismissed by the referee, but still had to led away from the field by Liverpool first-team colleague Danny Ings, with the Reds going on to lose the match 1-0.
But despite the unsavoury scenes, Liverpool Under-23 manager Neil Critchley claimed that the reaction was completely out of sync with Lallana’s usual behaviour.
“I have never seen Adam react like that,” said Critchley. “I’d like to see the incident again. It was ironic as we were just about to bring Liam Millar on. He was actually coming off.”
It’s understood though that the Premier League will not take action against Lallana as the top flight is not connected to the Premier League 2 when it comes to suspensions, meaning he will still be available to Klopp for this Sunday’s encounter with his former club Southampton.
Liverpool Under-23s actually finished the match with nine men as George Johnston was shown a second booking late on in the defeat, with other notable players included in the Liverpool line-up being strikers Dominic Solanke and Ben Woodburn.
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