Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Everton was overshadowed when Andre Gomes suffered a horrific injury following a challenge from Heung-min Son, who was sent off and left the pitch in tears.
Mauricio Pochettino's task of turning around Tottenham's inconsistent form in the league was made more difficult after top scorer Harry Kane was ruled out with illness.
Everton began pressing high up the pitch in an bid to force a mistake from Spurs and with neither side keeping the ball partcularly well, it quickly became a scrappy affair.
The man who looked most likely to break the deadlock was Richarlison, with the Brazilian striker shrugging off the challenge from Davinson Sanchez before firing over.
In fact, it took 32 minutes for any side to register a shot on target - and it was a tame effort from Richarlison in truth.
After the break, Tottenham looked somewhat livelier and felt they should have had a penalty when Yerry Mina clumsily challenged Heung-min Son in the penalty arena. The Korean's theatrical fall was somewhat delayed and after not one but two VAR reviews, the decision was final: 'no penalty'.
That incident seemed to liven things up and Everton went close just minutes later when Lucas Digne pulled it back to Richarlison on the edge of the box and his effort was saved well by Paulo Gazzaniga.
But it was Spurs who finally broke the deadlock after a horrible error from Alex Iwobi. The former Arsenal man passed it straight to Son, who played it forward to Alli and he darted inside Mason Holgate before firing low into the corner.
Alli then found himself fortunate not to concede a penalty after appearing to handle inside the penalty area from an Everton corner. After a three-minute delay, VAR decided no further action was necessary.
But the game as a contest was overshadowed when Gomes suffered a serious leg injury following Son's challenge. The 27-year-old appeared to collide with Serge Aurier in the process and after a long delay to receive treatment, was carried off on a stretcher.
Players from both sides appeared distraught after witnessing the injury and referee Martin Atkinson was left no option to send off a remorseful Son, who left the pitch in tears.
With 12 minutes added on, there was still time for more drama. Digne volleyed in the cross and Cenk Tosun, on a substitute, headed home in the 98th minute.
Despite late pressure from the home side, they were forced to settle for a point as Spurs' away woes continued.
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