Zokora was sent off for a tackle on Man City's Elano

Referee Steve Bennett sent off the Ivory Coast midfielder for a two-footed tackle on Elano during the 2-0 Carling Cup win on Tuesday.

In recent matches, Zokora has been deployed in defence because of Tottenham's injury crisis at the back.

He now faces a three-match ban, leaving Spurs with even bigger problems going into the hectic festive period.

Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Gareth Bale, Ricardo Rocha and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are all currently on the sidelines.