Dele Alli appears to have made light of the red card that ruined his Como debut as he made a long-awaited return from injury.
The former England midfielder, who joined Como on a free transfer in January, came on as a substitute with 81 minutes played in Saturday night’s 2-1 defeat to AC Milan.
But, just 10 minutes after coming on to make his first appearance for any club in two years, Dele was guilty of a rash challenge on former England team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with an initial yellow card being upgraded to red after a VAR check.
“I was always going to announce my return in some way after these past 2 years, would rather it had been with a goal but feels good to be back,” Dele wrote on Instagram.
Dele Alli was initially booked before it was upgraded to red following a VAR check (Antonio Calanni/AP)
Although Dele could joke the day afterwards, Como coach Cesc Fabregas reacted angrily after his side’s defeat.
“Dele Alli is a player who can score goals, he perhaps didn’t deserve this opportunity because he has only been working with us for two weeks and has a lot to improve,” Fabregas said on DAZN.
“It is a grave mistake, one that we should not see from a player of his experience.
“It was a clear red card, there’s nothing to be said about that, he left the team down to 10 men during a crucial moment when we were pushing for 2-2. That is the most negative thing about this evening, but we keep going.”