Stoke manager Mark Hughes believes Tottenham Hotspur could benefit from Dele Alli's sending off on Thursday night.
The young England international was dismissed as Spurs exited the Europa League against Gent on Thursday night for a horror tackle on Brecht Dejaegere in the 39th minute of the encounter.
While Hughes has no doubt Alli deserved to be sent off, he does not envisage the 20-year-old's confidence suffering because of the incident.
'It was a poor challenge and he was rightly sent off - I think everybody agreed with that,' Hughes said of a player who, like Harry Kane, has scored three times in the last two games between Stoke and Tottenham.