rentford condemned Tottenham to a miserable final game of the season in front of their home fans as Bryan Mbeumo delivered a 3-1 win for the Bees in north London.
For all of Spurs’ slow starts this season, this proved the reverse as Harry Kane opened the scoring after only eight minutes.
Frank Onyeka’s foul on Oliver Skipp allowed Spurs to show off a new routine, as Dejan Kulusevski backheeled a lay-off which Kane curled home past David Raya – giving the goalkeeper no chance.
It was his 28th Premier League goal of the season, scoring in a record-breaking 25th different game.
Tottenham, playing in a refreshed 4-2-3-1 system, looked threatening on the break as both teams favoured high-tempo attacking play.
Spurs gained more from this to-and-fro style of the first half, only denied a second goal first by Rico Henry heading off the line from Emerson Royal and second by Ben Mee’s flying block of Heung-min Son’s effort in stoppage time.
Brentford made the hosts pay for those misses by levelling up early in the second half, Mbeumo facing up to weak defending that allowed him to cut inside to bury a shot low into the far corner.
The comeback was completed after only 62 minutes when Aaron Hickey slipped Mbeumo in behind, scoring with another classy finish across Fraser Forster’s goal. Calls for a foul by Hickey in the build-up were dismissed by VAR.
The visitors wrapped up the points when Oliver Skipp gave away the ball in his own half, Mbeumo laying off a pass for Yoane Wissa to make it 3-1 as stoppage time began.
That secured Brentford’s first over Tottenham since 1948 as they showed their strength in a first outing since Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban, with a top-half finish guaranteed.
