The Bees sting champions Manchester City on the final day
MATCH WINNER: Brentford's Ethan Pinnock celebrates scoring the winning goal.
“Can we play you every week?” was the mocking chant from Brentford's supporters after a late goal from Ethan Pinnock ended Manchester City's 25 match unbeaten run and completed home and away victories over the Premier League champions.
The win was not enough to enable Brentford to qualify for the European Conference League, as Aston Villa pipped them to that competition, but it capped a memorable season for Thomas Frank's men, who have also beaten Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham this campaign.
Their first home game of the season was a 4-0 thrashing of United, and they ended the campaign with an ultimately comfortable win over City, who did not force a single save from David Raya in the Brentford goal.
A couple of early near-misses and a late goal-line clearance was all City mustered, though it has to be said Pep Guardiola decided to use mainly second-choice players, with only Ederson and Kyle Walker likely to start in either the FA Cup final next Saturday or the Champions League final a week later.
So their best chances in the first half fell to the inexperiened Cole Palmer and Sergio Gomez, who both shot weakly and wide. Julian Alvarez glanced a header wide of the far post at the end of the first half, and that was as good as it got for City.
Brentford did not create much more, certainly in the opening half, and their best chances came from set plays. Zanka's long throws caused panic in the City defence and from one Ben Mee had a powerful shot on the turn well saved by Ederson, and later another throw gave Vitaly Janelt the chance to volley over the bar.
The second-half started in similarly low-key fashion, but the supporters were enjoying themselves on a sun-soaked afternoon with nothing to lose. Home fans were unhappy, however, when referee John Brooks made a series of poor decisions.
After being conned into giving Walker a free-kick when the England defender comically threw himself to the ground after losing possession, Brooks then refused a strong penalty appeal when Rico Lewis clearly handled the ball inside the penalty area. One Brentford player went into the Brooks book for protesting, and manager Thomas Frank followed him soon afterwards.
But it was all smiles for Brentford and their supporters when Pinnock scored in the dying minutes. Substitute Kevin Schade raced down the right, crossed to the far post where Bryan Mbeumo headed the ball back across goal and Pinnock shot low and hard past Ederson.
It meant City lost for the first time since Tottenham beat them on February 7, but with the Premier League title already wrapped up last week, and finals of the FA Cup and Champions League to come, they are on the brink of an historic treble.
Raya 7 ; Zanka 7, Pinnock 8, Mee 7; Hickey 6 (Dasilva 70), Daamsgaard 7 (Schade 70) Janelt 7, Onyeka 7 (Baptiste 81), Henry 8 ; Mbeumo 7 (Ghoddos 89), Wissa 7 (Roerslev 89).
Ederson 7; Walker 6, Laporte 6, Ake 6 (Charles 63), Gomez 6; Lewis 7, Phillips 6; Mahrez 6, Palmer 7, Foden 7; Alvarez 6.
John Brooks 6/10.
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