LONDON - Seconds away from being substituted, Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana lost his head in an Under-23 match against Tottenham Hotspur in England's Premier League 2 on Monday.

Liverpool Under-23s boss Neil Critchley was about to replace the 29-year-old just past the hour mark when he reacted angrily to an aerial clash with 19-year-old Spurs midfielder George Marsh.

Lallana got up and grabbed Marsh around the neck from behind, before being dragged away by team-mate Danny Ings. The referee then sent off Lallana for violent conduct.

He will serve a three-match but it won't apply to the English Premiership, Sky Sports News understands.

Critchley said Lallana's actions was completely out of character.

"I've never seen Adam react like that so I'd like to see the incident again," he told LFCTV.

"It was ironic as we had Liam Millar on the side of the pitch and we were ready to sub him. Adam was actually coming off.

"I'd need to see it again. I wasn't sure about some of the refereeing decisions throughout the whole game but I wouldn't want to get involved in going on about the referee too much."

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who knows Lallana well from the time they spent together at Southampton between 2013 and 2014, told Football.London: "I heard, but I didn't see the reaction. It's football sometimes this happens, I cannot say nothing because Adam is a very special person for me, but (am) sure he is going to send a message to us about what happened and then maybe have a better idea about the situation."

Lallana has endured a tough season at Liverpool, missing the opening three months through injury and experiencing a slow return to form following his recovery.

A recent aggravation of his previous thigh injury is sure to have fuelled his frustration, especially during a period where manager Jurgen Klopp has tipped him to step up for the team in the wake of Philippe Coutinho's departure for Barcelona.