Dele Alli's first professional match in 748 days lasted just nine minutes when he was shown a straight red card for a foul on Ruben Loftus-Cheek shortly after coming off the bench to make his Como debut.

Alli initially received a yellow card, which was upgraded to red following a VAR review in stoppage time of Como's 2-1 defeat at AC Milan.

His former Tottenham Hotspur teammate Kyle Walker, who now plays for Milan, appeared to join the Como players in pleading with the referee not to send Alli off.

Como coach Cesc Fabregas was sent off after expressing his frustration with the referee in the minutes following Alli's dismissal, but he made no excuses for the attacking midfielder.

"Dele Alli is a goal scorer, I tried to give him an opportunity. A serious mistake by an experienced player. Clear red, he left the team at a time when it could have made it 2-2," Fabregas said to DAZN.

The 28-year-old joined Como in January on an 18-month deal with an option to extend for a further year. Saturday's game was his first since joining Turkish club Besiktas in February 2023.

Alli was one of the biggest talents in English football, a member of the England team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and a star of Mauricio Pochettino's young Tottenham side that reached the Champions League final in 2019.

However, his career has unravelled in recent years and he spent six weeks in rehab in the United States in 2023 to deal with mental health issues stemming from a traumatic childhood and an addiction to sleeping pills.

Alli did not play at all for Everton last season before his contract expired in June 2024. He last played for Besiktas during a loan spell last season.

Alli began training with Como at the end of last year and impressed Fabregas enough to earn a contract with the team.