Bryan Mbuemo inspired a superb second-half comeback as Brentford kept their European hopes alive with a 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Cameroon international clinically finished twice and put the other on a plate for Yoane Wissa as Thomas Frank’s Bees scored three without reply after the break.
Those goals cancelled out Harry Kane’s early strike for Spurs and moved Brentford to within a point of their hosts with one game left to play.
Onyeka for Damsgaard Brentford’s only change
Frank made a single change from last Sunday’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United; Frank Onyeka replacing Mikkel Damsgaard in midfield.
Thomas Strakosha returned to the bench in place of Under-20 World Cup bound Matt Cox while Ryan Trevitt also came in for fellow youngster Fin Stevens.
Tottenham made four changes and switched to a back four. Davinson Sanchez replaced Cristian Romero at centre-back and Ben Davies shifted out to left-back.
Yves Bissouma was a straight swap for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield while Dejan Kulusevski and Arnaut Danjuma replaced Pedro Porro and Richarlison in the attacking three behind Kane.
Brentford: Raya; Hickey (Roerslev 89), Pinnock, Mee, Henry; Janelt, Onyeka (Damsgaard 46), Jensen (Baptiste 72); Mbeumo, Schade (Zanka 78), Wissa (Dasilva 89)
Subs not used: Strakosha, Ghoddos, Ajer, Roerslev, Trevitt
Tottenham Hotspur: Forster; Emerson (Porro 75), Sanchez, Lenglet, Davies (Persic 85); Bissouma, Skipp; Danjuma (Moura 66), Son, Kulusevski (Richarlison 75); Kane
Subs not used: Austin, Dier, Tanganga, Sarr, Craig
Attendance: 61,514
Kane’s thunderbolt separates the sides at the interval
With both sides matching each other up in a back four, it was a very stretched opening 45 minutes.
The movement of Tottenham’s frontline was causing Brentford a lot of issues while the Bees’ best attacking outlet was the combination of Rico Henry and Kevin Schade down the left.
Dejan Kulusevski drilled an early cross into David Raya at the near post before the Spanish keeper made a simple claim from Kane’s deflected effort.
Brentford’s best move of the opening quarter began with Mathias Jensen winning the ball back inside his own half. It was then spread through Vitaly Janelt and Onyeka out to the over-lapping Henry on the left. When he delivered, Wissa knocked down for Mbuemo on the edge of the box but the shot looped over.
On eight minutes, Tottenham took the lead thanks to a moment of magic from England captain Kane. Following Onyeka’s foul on Oliver Skipp 30 yards from goal, Kulusevski rolled the ball off to the side for Kane to arc an effort around the wall and into Raya’s top-left corner.
Tottenham had an instant chance to double their advantage as Son Heung-min burst down the left. Aaron Hickey did well to keep pace with him and then delay his shot, which Raya then beat away at close range.
From a similar burst, Schade forced his way into the box only to see his low cross from the byline smuggled behind.
A Ben Mee flick-on just evaded Wissa in the middle before a pair of last-ditch interventions kept the scoreline down to one. The first saw Henry acrobatically nod off the line from Emerson Royal’s downward header. The second was a perfectly timed Hickey tackle on Kane as he prepared to shoot from just inside the D.
Tottenham were in the ascendancy but it wasn’t one-way traffic. Mbeumo headed well off target at the culmination of a long spell of Brentford possession before Jensen had Brentford’s best opening of the first half.
The ball was worked from deep down the left side. Wissa cushioned Schade’s low cross into the path of Jensen, but the midfielder curled well off target from 20 yards.
The home side’s best spell of the contest came right at the end of the half, Brentford thankful to go in just one behind.
Arnaut Danjuma flicked Son’s dinked cross narrowly off target. Mee then made a pair of crucial blocks, the first saving a certain Son goal and the second denying Kulusevski from further out. The final action of the half saw Raya tip the Swede’s rising effort over the bar.
Mbeumo spearheads the Bees’ second-half comeback
Frank made a half-time change, bringing Mikkel Damsgaard on for Onyeka, and it paid instant dividends.
It was the Dane’s slide-rule pass which Wissa collected, turned round Lenglet and fed into the path of Mbeumo on the right-hand corner of the box. The Cameroonian winger cut inside onto his left and then found Forster’s bottom corner from 18 yards.
The goal rattled the home side, and the home crowd, and Brentford sensed blood. Schade fired into the side netting from a tight angle as the Bees pressed forward. Forster was then relieved that a sweetly struck Mbeumo volley was right at him, rather than to either side.
Tottenham’s sole effort up to the hour mark saw Kane smash uncharacteristically off target when presented with a shooting chance 20 yards out.
And moments later, Brentford had their second. Hickey nicked the ball off Kane deep inside the Brentford half to set the move going. The Scottish full-back received the ball back and then knocked a perfectly weighted pass inside Ben Davies for Mbeumo to run onto. Much like his first, only this time from a tighter angle, Mbeumo cut inside before rolling across Forster and into the far corner.
The hosts’ response was again muted. Kane lashed off target from just outside the D and Richarlison’s flicked header was easily claimed by Raya as the Bees managed the second half excellently.
Zanka and Shandon Baptiste were brought off the bench in the closing stages and it was the latter who played a huge role in Brentford’s decisive third goal. His high press won the ball back off Skipp on the edge of the Spurs box to open up a three-on-two attacking opportunity.
Baptiste played in Mbeumo who, rather than taking the option of a shot for his hat-trick, rolled a perfect pass through the legs of Ivan Perisic and into the path of Wissa to lift over Forster and home from the penalty spot.
Wissa wheeled away towards the mass of limbs that was the away end, knowing the points were all-but sewn up.
Nine minutes of additional time was showed, during which the long-anticipated Tottenham onslaught did finally materialise. Raya somehow pushed Richarlison’s close-range header onto the post before recovering to tip another header from the Brazilian over the bar.
From the resulting corner, Mee threw himself in the way of a Son effort, the rebound dropped to Lucas Moura who tamely pulled wide.
Brentford were determined to keep Spurs at bay and the final act of the game typified that as Mee put his body on the line again to divert Pedro Porro’s shot to safety, with it, confirming another famous away win for Frank’s side.
Frank hails Bees fans after famous win
Thomas Frank admitted that he wasn't satisfied with his side's first-half performance against Spurs and highlighted the fans for their contribution in north London.
“It was incredible, and I loved the fans towards the end," he stated after the win.
“I'm so pleased that we’ve given them all these fantastic experiences this season and, today, when they were singing after the third goal was great. That was just fantastic to see, I’m so pleased for them."
Mbeumo: We must take responsibility to cope with Toney absence
Bryan Mbeumo stressed the need for Brentford’s players to step up following the news that top goalscorer Ivan Toney will be unavailable until January.
“We miss a big personality and a big player,” said Mbeumo. “Everybody – not just me Kev [Schade] and Wissa – have to step up and take responsibility.”