Deli Alli’s long-awaited return to football ended abruptly after being sent off 10 minutes into his Serie A debut for Como. The former England international had opened up about mental health issues during his time away from the game, and he will now be hoping to get his career back on track.
Como sits in 13th place in the table with 29 points from 29 games and the bookmakers fancy their chances to stay up. Empoli, Venezia, and Monza currently occupy the relegation places, and the top UK licensed and non-Gamstop betting sites have odds of between 100/1 and 300/1 for Como to drop to Serie B. Non-Gamstop wagering sites are recommended for those who are looking for a less restrictive betting platform – or just one that accepts players who have signed up for Gamstop.
A narrow 2-1 defeat away to Milan saw Como go ahead in the 33rd minute with a goal from Lucas Da Cunha before Christian Pulisic leveled after 50 minutes and Tijani Reijnders netted the winner with 15 minutes to go. Alli replaced Cunha in the 81st minute and was sent off after VAR intervened in the 91st minute.
The challenge on Loftus-Cheek looked clumsy rather than malicious and Alli went on to reveal messages sent to his former England team mater saying he had merely attempted to clip his heels. Though Loftus-Cheek stayed down following the challenge, he replied by saying he only stayed down because he was catching a breather.
The ref initially booked Alli for the challenge, but following a VAR intervention, upgraded the booking to a red card. Another former England team-mate Kyle Walker tried to intervene, despite playing for Milan. Presumably, Walker was trying to protect the player who has struggled to return to the game.
It had been almost 750 days since Alli last played a competitive match for Besiktas, and it was former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas who gave the ex-Tottenham player his chance. However, he spoke of his frustration at the red card at a time when Como was pushing for an equalizer.
Alli had only been training with the team for two weeks but Fabregas knows he is capable of scoring goals. Unfortunately, the challenge proved costly and Alli will now face suspension at a critical stage of the season.
Fabregas did not hold back when discussing the incident saying that Alli is experienced enough not to do this sort of thing and that he let his teammates down.
Alli spoke on social media about how glad he was to return to football but had been hoping to make an impact differently before sharing his exchange with Loftus-Cheek. He revealed that he thought the VAR check was for something else before being red-carded.
Alli is still just 28 and was a key player for Tottenham before losing form and moving to Everton. With 37 England caps under his belt, he has always stated that getting back into the England team is his ultimate goal, and he will be hoping that his next appearance in a Como shirt is more successful.
