Emerson Royal's red card against Arsenal on Saturday may have ended Tottenham's hopes of claiming a positive result from the north London derby, but it could be a blessing for Spurs and Antonio Conte in the longer term.
The 23-year-old Brazilian was sent off for a senseless studs-up challenge on compatriot Gabriel Martinelli with Spurs 2-1 down and it was damage limitation for Conte's side after that in a 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Emerson has started in all but one of Tottenham's 10 matches this season and he came on as a second-half substitute in the other – the 6-2 win over Leicester prior to the international break.
Despite some indifferent displays, the former Real Betis and Barcelona defender has virtually been a fixture for Conte in the starting XI, much to the frustration of Spurs fans at the games and also on social media.
Ahead of the north London derby, it was revealed by The Sun that Emerson had spent around £800,000 to improve his game, with that money reportedly spent on the purchase of a hyperbaric chamber, plus the hiring of a neuroscientist and investment in an in-depth scouting report on PSG's Achraf Hakimi.
Conte is no doubt impressed by that kind of elite mentality from the Brazilian international, but his performances on the pitch have still not been good enough and Spurs paid dearly for his rash challenge in Saturday's derby.
"There's no need for it, he's absolutely killed the game!"🎙️ @petercrouch, @rioferdy5 and @cesc4official give their honest take on Emerson Royal's sending off and what it did to Tottenham's chances! pic.twitter.com/jwRgAA9STNOctober 1, 2022
And given that Conte places such importance on his wing-backs in his 3-4-3 system, it is surprising he has not tried out Matt Doherty or summer signing Djed Spence so far this term.
Doherty was his first choice in the middle of last season before injury and Conte said prior to the international break that the Ireland defender would be available for selection after featuring for his country.
The former Wolves player did come on against Arsenal on Saturday, but bizarrely played one ball straight into his own area and that moment will not have pleased Conte.
Nevertheless, he was very impressive in the wing-back role last season before injury and may now get a chance to shine again as Emerson will be expected to miss the next three games.
If the Brazilian is handed a three-match suspension, Conte will need to find an alternative for the games against Brighton, Everton and Manchester United.
Spence is another option and Spurs fan are desperate to see the exciting England Under-21 international in action.
So far, he has featured just for a few minutes against former club Nottingham Forest, with Conte suggesting he needs time to adapt to his ideas and to playing at a higher level after playing in the Championship last season.
In the meantime, Emerson will be available for selection for Tottenham's trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday, but Conte may prefer to try out another player in order to prepare for the Brazilian's enforced absence.
Against Leicester, Conte switched Ivan Perisic to the right side and using the Croatian in that role is another alternative, although it seems unnecessary with two specialists waiting for their opportunity.
"He knows what happens, the difficulty we were [in] after the red card," Conte said of the Brazilian after the game on Saturday. "It can happen. Emerson is also a young player. He has to try to exploit this situation to be better, in the next situation to avoid the tackle."
Many Spurs fans will be hoping there is no next time, at least not for a while. And despite disappointment in the derby,Tottenham could now benefit from his absence if Doherty or Spence are able to step up in the next few weeks.
