Ivan Toni shrugged off his World Cup disappointment over Pep Guardiola and Manchester City as Brentford ended their Champions League run of 16 consecutive home victories in dramatic style.
The Brentford striker, who was dropped from England’s squad this week, saw Phil Foden equal his opening goal as the game entered a 10-minute stoppage time due to a back injury from Emerick Laporte.
And in the 97th minute, Yvonne Wise broke ground with a one-acre pass to fellow substitute Josh da Silva and his bottom cross was replaced by an unmarked Tony.
The striker could have claimed a hat-trick in the dying seconds, only for Kevin De Bruyne to go off the line.
But it was worth too much for the Bees as they ended City’s 20-game unbeaten run at the Etihad and ensured they didn’t enter the break in the top spot.
By the time Brentford took the lead in the 16th minute, they had missed two great chances to score.
But when the openers arrived, it was essentially Tony who gave Gareth Southgate a timely hint about his omission from the Qatar squad this week.
Goalkeeper David Raya bowled a long free-kick forward, which was flicked with an impressive jump by base defender Ben Mee and Tony, played by John Stones, put Ederson on the ground.
It was no more than Thomas Frank of the visitors, who came twice within six minutes of Ederson coming to his team’s defense.
First, the Brazilian did well to block Frank Onica’s shot after clearing the midfielder with a superb Rico Henry pass.
And Henry soon rejoined, delivering a left-wing cross that Ederson pushed to the back of his field where Brian Mboumo selflessly crossed for Tony, who should have beaten the City Keeper but instead, he was disappointed.
Hitting back, City slowly began to exert some control over proceedings with a series of increasingly frantic and unsuccessful penalty appeals and VAR investigations.
But it was not until the 40th minute that the champions hit the target when Raya’s hand was injured by Foden’s strike.
Mbeumo actually increased Brentford’s lead in the 45th minute but tried to gently flick the ball past Ederson on the edge of the City area.
The omission proved more costly as the game ended in stoppage time and City won from a right-left corner taken by Kevin de Bruyne.
His cross was touched through the field by defender Manuel Akanji and Foden was found on the far post, whose formidable strike gave Raya no chance in the Brentford goal.
City started the second half vigorously, although it was cut short by a lengthy delay as Spain international Laporte suffered a head wound that required a wide bandage.
Nevertheless, Ju Cancello threatened Brentford’s goal early with a strike that deflected defender Zanka and let Ilke Gundogan fly, before City lost their best chance of second.
He exchanged a pass with Erling Haaland, but could only get the ball on goal from a great position from eight yards.
Nevertheless, as he did in the first half, with Brentford still posing a threat, Toni had a decent chance on Ederson and then Laporte made a wonderful interception to deny the striker as he took home Henry. He was moving towards the cross. was attacked. Seemed ready to tap.
Rodrigo and Cancelo again tested Raya, but the defender from the Spanish World Cup squad found equal to the challenge as Guardiola, oddly, appeared reluctant to use his bench.
Cancelo expressed City’s growing frustration when he was booked for a foul, and Ederson again needed to show heroism in denying Toni’s shot from close range.
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Stones 5, Akanji 6, Laporte 8, Cancelo 6 (Alvarez 86); De Bruin 6, Rodri 7, Gundogan 5; Silva 6, Haaland 6, Foden 7. Substitutes (not used) Ortega, Dias, Phillips, Grealish, Gomez, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis.
Brentford (3-5-2): Raya 8; Zanka 7, Pinnock 7, Me 7; Roerslev 7, Onyeka 7 (Dasilva 86), Janelt 6 (Norgaard 62, 6), Jensen 6, Henry 7; Mbeumo 6 (Wissa 73, 6), Toney 9. Substitute (not used) Cox, Canoes, Ghodos, Louis-Potter, Krama, Ermolyuk.
