CHELSEA LOSS CAN FIRE SPURS, SAYS TRIPPIER

TOTTENHAM full-back Kieran Trippier says his team will be fired by the ‘devastation’ of losing last season’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea when they take on Manchester United at Wembley today. Spurs twice drew level with Chelsea in a dramatic tie last year but eventually lost 4-2. Trippier, who was in the starting line-up at the expense of Kyle Walker, believes Tottenham have since matured and now know how to manage the pressure of big games. ‘When we were beaten, we were all devastated,’ said Trippier. ‘We learned from it. It went to 2-2, so it’s about seeing games out with maturity. ‘When they are on top, and other teams will have their spells, it is about how you manage and control that. It will be a tough game. United have a lot of quality and we need to be ready for that.’ Trippier also dismissed the notion that Tottenham are favourites having played at Wembley all season and after beating United 2-0 there in January. The England defender added: ‘It will be a totally different game. It’s a semi-final of a cup. They will come to Wembley to get the win. I don’t think Wembley is an advantage because how many times have Manchester United played there? The pitch size is probably the same as Old Trafford, so I don’t think there is any real difference.’ Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino knows the moment his side overcame their Wembley curse — the win against Borussia Dortmund on the opening night of their Champions League campaign in September when Son Heung-min opened the scoring and Harry Kane struck twice in a 3-1 victory. ‘That’s when we really started to feel at home,’ said Pochettino. ‘At that moment, Dortmund were the best team in Germany and one of the best in all of Europe. ‘The atmosphere was brilliant, the fans were brilliant and, in that moment, we changed to believing we could win. We started to feel like Wembley was home for us and that was a massive change for the team.’