BLADES HAVE EARNED RIGHT TO HAVE A BASH AT SPURS AS EQUALS

CHRIS BASHAM never imagined when Sheffield United last played Tottenham at Bramall Lane they would face each other tonight as Premier League equals.

Basham is the sole survivor from Nigel Clough’s League One side who nearly upset Spurs in the League Cup semifinals in 2015.

Spurs won the first leg 1-0 but the Blades levelled the tie in the second leg at Bramall Lane and led 2-1, before Christian Eriksen scored late on to send Tottenham to Wembley, 3-2 on aggregate.

“It was a great game,” said Basham (challenging Harry Kane with Michael Doyle in the second leg, above). “Them coming to us on a snowy night, Eriksen scored one of the best goals I’ve ever seen.

“Little Louis Reed missed a glorious opportunity to take us through. But I could not have imagined, five or six years ago, going from League One to playing in the Premier League against Tottenham. We’re so close in the league and we want to beat them and overtake them.

“I feel truly privileged to be where I am now. That’s one of the most important things, to realise where we’ve come from and we all do.”

United have lost their last three games and Basham wishes this match had been played on its original date in

April when the Blades were in better form and Kane was injured.

“It would have played in our favour if he had not been available because Tottenham have found it hard without him,” he added. “But you just have to bite the bullet and enjoy the opportunity of playing against one of the best strikers in the country.”

Henderson, Basham, Egan, Robinson, Baldock, Fleck, Norwood, Berge, Stevens, Mcburnie, Mcgoldrick

Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies, Dier, Sissoko, Ndombele, Alli, Son, Kane