From the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Brentford staged a second-half comeback to dent Tottenham’s European hopes, winning 3-1 in north London.
The Spurs were in complete control of the first half, but regretted not finishing the game as the Bees came from behind to earn their third Big-Six win.
Thomas Frank’s side are now one point behind Tottenham and could qualify for Europe if results hold true on the final day.
Tottenham took the lead after the five-minute mark through all-time record scorer Harry Kane. Frank Onyka fouled Oliver Skip only 25 yards from goal and Spurs were awarded a free-kick. Dejan Kulusevski teed up Kane and he curled the ball straight into the top corner.
The hosts looked to continue their torrid start and were denied a second soon after. Son Heung-min managed to run past Aaron Hickey but his shot was saved by David Raya from close range.
At the other end, Brentford looked to use the momentum to their advantage as well. A mix-up between Emerson Royal and Davinson Sanchez allowed Kevin Scheide to face Ben Mee’s long ball, and his low cross-cum-shot was parried by Fraser Foster.
Midway through the first half, Rico Henry came to the rescue of the Bees. A clever exchange between Son and Kulusevski saw the South Korean place a cross over Emerson’s head, and his effort was cleared off the line by the Brentford left-back.
Brentford wanted a penalty when Brian Mbumo fell under an elbow from Ben Davies, but the contact was minimal and his protest was dismissed.
Just before the break, Tottenham twice came close to adding seconds. Kane came out of danger and found Son free in the middle of the pitch, moving down the right to support Emerson. Son’s cross was then flicked over Arnaut Danjuma’s head and the ball fell wide of the post.
Soon after, Kulusevski found Son again with a clever reverse ball, and he cut inside to shoot, only for the retreating Ben Mee to be denied with a superb block.
Spurs Paid for not putting a second away when Brentford equalized just after half-time. Yoan Wisa fended off a challenge from Clement Lenglet and found Brian Mbumo, who cut inside the sleeping Ben Davies and found the bottom corner.
Ryan Mason’s side could have grabbed the lead in the following minutes. Kulusevski flicked the ball over Mee’s head and slid past Kane, who fired all the way into row Z of the stadium’s single-tier stands, impacting onto Raya.
Tottenham found themselves behind on the hour mark. Hickey’s pass on the inside found Mbumo running in from behind, and he chose the same corner to give Brentford Leadership.
Spurs’ troubles increased late on when Oliver Skip was robbed of the ball by Shandon Baptiste on the edge of his own box, with Mbumo working the ball to Wisa to keep it beyond Forster.
Entering stoppage time on nine minutes, Tottenham went all out in search of a second goal, with Richardson twice denying Raya saves.
Full-time boos broke out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs suffered their 14th Premier League defeat of the season. Brentford remain firmly on the lookout for Europe.
GK: Fraser Foster – 4/10 – Went slow for Brentford’s goals. Delivery went pretty well.
RB: Emerson Royal – 5/10 – Not given a burner by Shade, but hardly glad to see him run his own way.
CB: Davinson Sanchez – 5/10 – Was fine defensively for the most part, although it was notable that Tottenham couldn’t really build from him.
CB: Clement Lenglet – 4/10 – Confidence was hard to come by, especially when Davis needed help doubling on MbuMo.
LB: Ben Davis – 3/10 – And boy did Davis need help with MbuMo. Gave him the freedom of North London to overtake him and cut in, which was obviously about to happen.
CM: Oliver Skipp – 3/10 – Kept things as simple as needed in a midfield battle, and then gifted the Bees their third goal.
CM: Yves Bissouma – 6/10 – There was much rejoicing in the middle of the park on his first start after returning from an ankle fracture. Will almost certainly be used more under a new permanent head coach.
RM: Arnaut Danjuma – 5/10 – Played with gusto and drive but failed to get the ball off a rare start and chance to impress.
AM: Dejan Kulusevski – 7/10 – Seen reborn in a free role between the lines, picking up Son and Kane with his ingenuity.
LM: Son Hyung-min – 5/10 – Took a stretch of the game as a runner and unfortunately didn’t find the net in the first half, but was much calmer after the break.
CF: Harry Kane – 8/10 – Up to 28 goals in the Premier League this season and this could be the pick of the bunch. Deep dropped as per link play.
substitute player
Lucas Moura (66′ for Danzuma) – 5/10
Pedro Porro (75′ for Emerson) – 5/10
Richardson (75 for Kulusevski) – 5/10
Ivan Perisic (85′ for Davis) – N/A
Subs not used: Austin, Dyer, Tanganga, Craig, Sarr,
Manager
Ryan Mason – 5/10 – Changed the system and got a response initially but they had no moves after Spurs went behind.
GK: David Raya – 7/10 – He couldn’t do much about Kane’s opener. An impressive sweeping and kicking display at home to a club interested in his services. Two big saves at the end of the second half.
RB: Aaron Hickey – 7/10 – Enjoyed his pairing with Son and supported Mbumo well on the right. Equally comfortable stepping into midfield and it’s easy to see why he has been linked with Manchester City.
CB: Ethan Pinnock – 6/10 A bit sluggish with possession at the start of the day but improved a lot after that.
CB: Ben Me – 6/10 – There were a few moments with similarly hairy but always looked comfortable and confident.
LB: Rico Henry – 8/10 – Extraordinary. Grabbed both Danjuma and Lucas, forcing them to block the space of Kulusevski and Kane.
DM: Vitaly Gennelt – 6/10 – Brentford recovered from a sordid first half to stand their ground after the break as they came back.
CM: Frank Onyeka – 5/10 – Played a little too high on the pitch as Brentford cited a midfield battle and bowed out on the break.
CM: Mathias Jensen – 7/10 – Brentford, who had the best of the first half, finally found some support after the break. Spread the game relatively easily.
RW: Brian Mbumo – 9/10 – Have full control over the game after restart. Two spectacular goals and an assist set up a well-deserved win for Brentford.
CF: Yoanne Vissa – 8/10 – The first took a bit out of Sanchez and Lenglet as number nine, but then took more pleasure in tearing them apart with his clever runs and pace.
LW: Kevin Schade – 5/10 – Intimidated Emerson and Sanchez with pace but rarely used it.
substitute player
Mikael Damsgaard (46′ for Oneka) – 7/10 – Saw more at home breaking down the Spurs than Onyka.
Shandon Baptiste (72′ for Jensen) – 7/10
Zanka (78′ for Shade) – 6/10
Subscription not used: Strakosha, Rorslev, Azar, Ghodos, Trevit, Dasilva
Manager
Thomas Frank – 8/10 – Whatever he said at half-time clearly worked. Another big result from the Big-Six.