Sting in the tail for Bees
Brentford wasted a glorious chance to leapfrog West Brom and edge towards a dream topflight spot by losing at Stoke.
Lee Gregory tapped in the only goal as Michael O’Neill’s Potters secured their survival.
But it was agonising for the Bees who would have been just 90 minutes away from their first crack at the Premier League with victory yesterday.
Now second-placed West Brom will go up alongside champions Leeds if they beat QPR in their f inal game on Wednesday.
Brentford host Barnsley on the final day and boss Thomas Frank said: “I would say it is not emotional now for the players and the staff and me but that would be a lie.
“We would have loved to go into the f inal game with everything in our hands.
“That is the rollercoaster of football. I am very proud of them. We have been on an unbel ievable run and if anybody had said to us before the start of the season that before the last game you would be one point off the top two...”
Fulham can also still finish second after going goal-crazy in a 5- 3 success at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Neeskens Kebano both scored twice in the Cot tagers’ thrilling win yesterday.
They sit two points behind West Brom and face Wigan on the final day.
At the other end of the table, Hull are on the verge of relegation to League One after losing 1- 0 to Luton, who are now only in the bottom three on goal difference thanks to Kazenga LuaLua’s late winner.
And Birmingham are not safe yet - depending on what happens with Wigan’s 12-point deduction - following a 2- 0 loss at Alex Neil’s Preston.
The final play-off place is still up for grabs after sixth-placed Cardiff beat Middlesbrough 3-1 and Swansea in seventh edged out Bristol City 1- 0.
The Swans need to beat Reading on Wednesday and hope their Welsh rivals lose at home to Hull to pip them to a play-off spot.