Bryan Mbeumo’s second-half double inspires Brentford’s fightback at Spurs

For Tottenham there was, in the end, more pain, more frustration and another defeat. That is five now in their last seven games and they were worryingly bereft of answers as, after a bright start, Brentford turned the game on its head and ripped the points from their grasp in the second half. Bryan Mbeumo scored twice and Yoane Wissa grabbed a late third as the Bees won for the fourth time in five matches to haul themselves to just a point behind Spurs with a game to play.

The turnaround was dramatic, but in the circumstances not entirely unexpected. “This has been an immensely difficult season. We made footballing decisions over recent seasons based on ambition and a desire to bring success to our club and they have not delivered what we have hoped.” So began the message from the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, in the matchday programme. Before kick-off a mural of Harry Kane was unveiled opposite the ground; for this Spurs side, poised for a summer of transformation – “We shall spend the period ahead of next season working relentlessly to position our club for on-pitch success,” Levy wrote – the writing is on the wall.

Placing Kane in a dysfunctional side has only served to make his brilliance more thrilling, and his goal here was simply breathtaking. How much suffering, how much frustration, was it worth enduring simply to spend a single glorious second sitting in the warmth of the May sunshine, watching that ball dip and curl towards the top corner? It is not a word that this Spurs side has often inspired, but no other will do: this was perfection. It was the striker’s 28th goal of the season, and his 10th in as many games. There is one year left on his contract and speculation swirling around his future but if that