Milan fight back to beat Como 2-1 as Alli sent off on comeback
Baku, March 16, AZERTAC
Second-half goals by Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders gave AC Milan a thrilling 2-1 comeback home win over Como in Serie A on Saturday, with Dele Alli sent off for the visitors minutes into his first match in two years, Reuters reported.
Milan are in seventh place with 47 points, five points behind Juventus in fourth, the final Champions League spot, with Juve playing at Fiorentina on Sunday. Como are 13th with 29 points.
The match saw former England international Alli make his first competitive appearance since February 2023, but it lasted mere minutes as he was sent off in stoppage time for stamping on Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Milan started brightly, with Yunus Musah rounding Como goalkeeper Jean Butez after five minutes, but the angle became too tight, and his effort drifted just wide of the far post.
Lucas Da Cunha stunned the San Siro into silence after 33 minutes, guiding a precise left-footed strike from the edge of the area into the bottom corner to put the visitors in front.
Como nearly doubled their lead just before the break when Marc-Oliver Kempf had a clear chance, but Milan keeper Mike Maignan produced a superb point-blank save to deny him.
Da Cunha believed he had scored his second six minutes into the second half, only for it to be disallowed by VAR and from then on, it was all Milan.
Two minutes later, Pulisic levelled for the hosts, striking a half-volley from a tight angle that went in just inside the far post.
Reijnders completed the turnaround with a close-range goal in the 75th minute, much to the relief of the home fans and manager Sergio Conceicao.
After their second consecutive league win, following three straight defeats, Reijnders said it was difficult to explain Milan's inconsistency this season.
"This is something we are suffering this season. I don’t think it’s sharpness, but we are making personal mistakes and these things can’t happen when you are playing for Milan," Reijnders said.
"I said multiple times this season, we have to improve, and right now is the best moment to do it."
Como's misery was compounded when Alli received a straight red card in stoppage time, minutes after coming on.
The former England international had not played a competitive match since featuring for Turkish side Besiktas in February 2023, and has struggled with injuries and fitness since.
He signed for Como in January, hoping to reignite his career, but spent only 10 minutes on the field before receiving the red card.
Como coach Cesc Fabregas was sent off after expressing his frustration with the referee in the minutes after Alli's dismissal, but he offered 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.
"It has been an unlucky season, so many small details that hurt. I never give up, I'm positive and we always move forward."
