Dele Alli’s return to professional football after a two-year hiatus turned into a nightmare as he was shown a red card just 10 minutes after coming on, contributing to Como’s 2-1 defeat against AC Milan on Saturday.
Como boss Cesc Fabregas, who was also sent off, brought Alli off the bench in hopes of avoiding defeat, however, Alli ended up clipping the back of Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s heel with a clumsy tackle as the ex-Chelsea midfielder slipped past him.
Referee Matteo Marchetti initially handed Alli a yellow card, but after a VAR suggested an on-field review, he changed his decision to a red.
Milan had an early opportunity to take the lead when Yunus Musah was sent clear on goal in the fourth minute but he sent his chance wide.
Como then caught Milan off guard, taking the lead when Lucas Da Cunha scored with a left-footed shot into the near bottom corner after a well-worked move.
Moments after the start of the second half, Milan grabbed the equaliser through Pulisic, and Reijnders sealed the win to complete a fine turnaround.
