COMO boss Cesc Fabregas has hit out at Dele Alli‘s “grave mistake” after the former Spurs star was sent off just TEN minutes into his club debut.
Alli – making his first appearance in 748 days – was shown a red card during second-half stoppage time for a rash challenge on AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The former England midfielder signed for Italian club Como in January on a free transfer.
Como were trailing 2-1 and desperately chasing a winner when Fabregas turned to Alli in the 81st minute to find a goal.
But the cameo quickly turned into a nightmare for the ex-Tottenham ace.
Alli was shown a yellow card for a late ankle tackle on Loftus-Cheek in the closing stages at the San Siro.
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Referee Matteo Marchetti was called to the monitor after an intervention from VAR.
After studying the tackle for several minutes, Marchetti decided to upgrade Alli’s yellow card to a red.
But Fabregas had little sympathy Alli, describing the incident as a tackle that “hurts to watch” in his post-match press conference.
Fabregas told DAZN: “Dele Alli is a player who can score goals.
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“He perhaps didn’t deserve this opportunity because he has only been working with us for two weeks and has a lot to improve.
“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 ten 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.”
But Fabregas was also sent off for his reaction to the incident.
Alli wrote on Instagram: “I was always going to announce my return in some way after these past two years.
“But would rather it had been with a goal but feels good to be back.”
Christian Pulisic and Tijani Reijnders scored in the second half for Milan, after Lucas da Cunha put the visitors ahead before the break.
Milan’s Kyle Walker – a former England and Spurs team-mate of Alli – was seen begging with the ref not to send the 28-year-old off.
One fan agreed on X: “That’s a yellow. The force is so little. Slow motion makes it look 10x harder.”
Dele debut timeline
- 81st minute – Alli comes on to make Como debut
- 89th minute – Alli makes the challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek and is yellow carded
- 91st minute – His yellow card upgraded to a red after VAR review
- 94th minute – Cesc Fabregas is also sent off for his reaction to the incident
Another said: “Even Walker was saying to not give him a red for it. That’s actually heartbreaking.”
Fabregas’ team ended the day in 13th, still seven points clear of the drop, while Milan sit seventh after their victory.
Alli began training with Fabregas‘ side over Christmas, although the former Arsenal ace was reluctant to claim whether it would lead to anything.
But Fabregas elected to sign Alli on a permanent basis as the 37-cap England international penned a deal until 2026, with the option of a further 12 months.
The former England star left Everton permanently in 2024 after being shipped out on a season-long loan to Besiktas 2023.
His last game before Como’s clash in Milan was a 0-0 draw with Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig on February 26, 2023.
The midfielder was praised for a groundbreaking interview with Manchester United legend Gary Neville later that year.
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The midfielder opened up on his mental health struggles, opening up on childhood trauma including being abused and selling drugs.
He broke through as a teenager at MK Dons before earning a big-money move to Tottenham in 2015.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
