Daniel James inspired Swansea to an astonishing turnaround as they came from a goal down to reach the last eight of the FA Cup for a second successive season.
The Swans winger scored a breathtaking goal, involving a 70 yard sprint, as he underlined why Championship high fliers Leeds United tried so hard to sign him on transfer deadline day.
The goal put Swansea ahead early in the second-half after an own goal from Bentford goalkeeper Luke Daniels had cancelled out Ollie Watkins’ opener.
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Bersant Celina – whose free-kick led to Daniels’ own goal – made it 3-1 to Swansea before George Byers added a fourth late on.
It was unforeseen collapse by Brentford who looked totally dominant in the first-half but Thomas’ Frank’s team fell to pieces after they had Ezri Konsa sent off.
1/21 Ranking the 20 greatest FA Cup finals
Getty Images
2/21 1997: Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough
A game that will go down in the history books for Roberto Di Matteo’s thunderbolt inside a minute. Ruud Gullit became the first black manager to win a major English trophy.
Getty Images
3/21 1993: Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday’s most recent FA Cup was lost after extra time and a replay. Ian Wright and Chris Waddle took the game to extra time before Andy Linighan’s header in the final moment.
Getty Images
4/21 2002: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
A closely fought match was separated by two stunning strikes to the top corner. Individual brilliance from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg.
Getty Images
5/21 1976: Manchester United 0-1 Southampton
Finishing sixth in the second division, Southampton were massive underdogs heading into the match against third in the top flight Man United. Bobby Stokes left-footed volley was the winning goal on 83 minutes.
Getty Images
6/21 2017: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
An early goal from Alexis Sanchez amid offside claims was cancelled out by Diego Costa. Just three minutes later, Gunners had their record 13th title secured by another Aaron Ramsey Wembley goal.
Getty Images
7/21 1980: West Ham United 1-0 Arsenal
West Ham hero Trevor Brooking scored the only goal after 13 minutes in the last FA Cup Final to be won by a team outside the top flight.
Getty Images
8/21 1966: Everton 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Everton reached the final without conceding a goal, but Wednesday were two up with half-an-hour to play. The Toffees became the second side ever to come from two goals down and win the final.
Getty Images
9/21 2014: Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (AET)
Hull City were two goals up inside eight minutes against Arsenal but could not hold on. Goals from Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny took the game to extra time before Aaron Ramsey stabbed home to break Hull hearts.
Getty Images
10/21 2016: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United (AET)
Alan Pardew danced on the touchline when Jason Puncheon put Palace up but Juan Mata took the game to stoppage time before Jesse Lingard thumped into the top corner, securing United’s 12th FA Cup.
Getty Images
11/21 1973: Leeds United 0-1 Sunderland
Leeds were a dominant force in English football when second division Sunderland became the first tem outside the top flight to lift the trophy since West Brom in 1931.
Getty Images
12/21 1990: Crystal Palace 3-3 Manchester United (AET)
In the first all-seater final at Wembley, Ian Wright and Mark Hughes bagged braces for their respective clubs in an enthralling match that resulted in a replay – won 1-0 by United.
Getty Images
13/21 2013: Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic
Ben Watson’s 91st minute header against Premier League champions from the previous year made Wigan the first ever club to win the FA Cup be relegated in the same season.
Getty Images
14/21 1979: Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
The ‘Five-minute Final’ embodies the sentiment that frantic finishes are a staple of the FA Cup. Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead with four minutes left and Alan Sunderland still grabbed the winner.
Getty Images
15/21 1989: Liverpool 3-2 Everton (AET)
Five weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool and Everton met in the FA Cup Final. A 90th minute Toffees equaliser took the fixture to extra time at 1-1 before a brace from substitute Ian Rush won the cup for Liverpool.
Getty Images
16/21 1988: Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon
Wimbledon’s one and only FA Cup triumph came courtesy of a Lawrie Sanchez header. The club had only been in the Football League for 11 years when they beat the reigning English champions.
Getty Images
17/21 2001: Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool
The first FA Cup Final held at the Millennium Stadium was enthralling as Michael Owen scored two in five minutes to cancel out Freddie Ljungberg’s opener, winning the game at the death.
Getty Images
18/21 1981: Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Manchester City
A final pebble dashed with incredible strikes was clinched by an all-time great FA Cup goal. Ricky Villa’s jinking run into the box and finish will never be forgotten by Spurs fans.
Getty Images
19/21 Coventry City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur (AET)
John Motson described this game as, “the finest Cup Final” when commentating. Behind twice, Coventry levelled and dragged the game into stoppage time. ‘Gary Mabbutt’s Knee’ is now a Coventry fanzine after the Spurs man’s own goal gifted Sky Blues the win in dramatic fashion.
Getty Images
20/21 1953: Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers
Coming back from 3-1 down to win in stoppage time is motivation enough for this final to be considered an all-time great. The match was dubbed ‘The Matthews Final’ for Stanley Matthews’ performance, despite teammate Stan Mortensen scoring a hat-trick.
Getty Images
21/21 2006: Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (3-1 on pens)
Seconds from securing a first FA Cup trophy since 1980, West Ham could not have imagined they would find themselves despairing on the Millennium Stadium turf. Steven Gerrard struck a 30-yard half-volleyed thunderbolt to take the game into extra time where the Reds would win on penalties.
Getty Images
1/21 Ranking the 20 greatest FA Cup finals
Getty Images
2/21 1997: Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough
A game that will go down in the history books for Roberto Di Matteo’s thunderbolt inside a minute. Ruud Gullit became the first black manager to win a major English trophy.
Getty Images
3/21 1993: Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday’s most recent FA Cup was lost after extra time and a replay. Ian Wright and Chris Waddle took the game to extra time before Andy Linighan’s header in the final moment.
Getty Images
4/21 2002: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
A closely fought match was separated by two stunning strikes to the top corner. Individual brilliance from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg.
Getty Images
5/21 1976: Manchester United 0-1 Southampton
Finishing sixth in the second division, Southampton were massive underdogs heading into the match against third in the top flight Man United. Bobby Stokes left-footed volley was the winning goal on 83 minutes.
Getty Images
6/21 2017: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
An early goal from Alexis Sanchez amid offside claims was cancelled out by Diego Costa. Just three minutes later, Gunners had their record 13th title secured by another Aaron Ramsey Wembley goal.
Getty Images
7/21 1980: West Ham United 1-0 Arsenal
West Ham hero Trevor Brooking scored the only goal after 13 minutes in the last FA Cup Final to be won by a team outside the top flight.
Getty Images
8/21 1966: Everton 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Everton reached the final without conceding a goal, but Wednesday were two up with half-an-hour to play. The Toffees became the second side ever to come from two goals down and win the final.
Getty Images
9/21 2014: Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (AET)
Hull City were two goals up inside eight minutes against Arsenal but could not hold on. Goals from Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny took the game to extra time before Aaron Ramsey stabbed home to break Hull hearts.
Getty Images
10/21 2016: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United (AET)
Alan Pardew danced on the touchline when Jason Puncheon put Palace up but Juan Mata took the game to stoppage time before Jesse Lingard thumped into the top corner, securing United’s 12th FA Cup.
Getty Images
11/21 1973: Leeds United 0-1 Sunderland
Leeds were a dominant force in English football when second division Sunderland became the first tem outside the top flight to lift the trophy since West Brom in 1931.
Getty Images
12/21 1990: Crystal Palace 3-3 Manchester United (AET)
In the first all-seater final at Wembley, Ian Wright and Mark Hughes bagged braces for their respective clubs in an enthralling match that resulted in a replay – won 1-0 by United.
Getty Images
13/21 2013: Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic
Ben Watson’s 91st minute header against Premier League champions from the previous year made Wigan the first ever club to win the FA Cup be relegated in the same season.
Getty Images
14/21 1979: Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
The ‘Five-minute Final’ embodies the sentiment that frantic finishes are a staple of the FA Cup. Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead with four minutes left and Alan Sunderland still grabbed the winner.
Getty Images
15/21 1989: Liverpool 3-2 Everton (AET)
Five weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool and Everton met in the FA Cup Final. A 90th minute Toffees equaliser took the fixture to extra time at 1-1 before a brace from substitute Ian Rush won the cup for Liverpool.
Getty Images
16/21 1988: Liverpool 0-1 Wimbledon
Wimbledon’s one and only FA Cup triumph came courtesy of a Lawrie Sanchez header. The club had only been in the Football League for 11 years when they beat the reigning English champions.
Getty Images
17/21 2001: Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool
The first FA Cup Final held at the Millennium Stadium was enthralling as Michael Owen scored two in five minutes to cancel out Freddie Ljungberg’s opener, winning the game at the death.
Getty Images
18/21 1981: Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Manchester City
A final pebble dashed with incredible strikes was clinched by an all-time great FA Cup goal. Ricky Villa’s jinking run into the box and finish will never be forgotten by Spurs fans.
Getty Images
19/21 Coventry City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur (AET)
John Motson described this game as, “the finest Cup Final” when commentating. Behind twice, Coventry levelled and dragged the game into stoppage time. ‘Gary Mabbutt’s Knee’ is now a Coventry fanzine after the Spurs man’s own goal gifted Sky Blues the win in dramatic fashion.
Getty Images
20/21 1953: Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers
Coming back from 3-1 down to win in stoppage time is motivation enough for this final to be considered an all-time great. The match was dubbed ‘The Matthews Final’ for Stanley Matthews’ performance, despite teammate Stan Mortensen scoring a hat-trick.
Getty Images
21/21 2006: Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (3-1 on pens)
Seconds from securing a first FA Cup trophy since 1980, West Ham could not have imagined they would find themselves despairing on the Millennium Stadium turf. Steven Gerrard struck a 30-yard half-volleyed thunderbolt to take the game into extra time where the Reds would win on penalties.
Getty Images
The swathes of empty seats may have reflected calls from some Swansea fans to boycott this fixture in protest as recent transfer dealings by the club’s absent American owners.
Those home supporters who ignored the pleas were easily drowned out by Brentford’s sizeable following and the travelling contingent soon had cause to voice their approval.
After surviving an early scare when Swansea’s top scorer Oli McBurnie just failed to connect with a cross by George Byers, it was Brentford who dominated the opening half.
With just one defeat in 12 games, the Bees had the kind of smooth passing game and confident swagger that used to be the domain of the home team at the Liberty Stadium.
Twice Brentford might have gone ahead when they unpicked Swansea’s defence in the opening minutes. First, Swansea skipper Mike van der Hoorn had to stick out a boot to clear Moses Odubajo’s dangerous cross and then Said Benrahma and Sergi Canos combined to create more panic.
When Benrahma shot over after Swansea goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfelt could only palm another cross into the middle of the goalmouth it appeared the siege would inevitably yield a goal for the visitors.
It came in the 28th minute when a swift and devastating counter-attack involving Romaine Sawyers, Benrahma and Neal Maupay ended with Ollie Watkins driving a rising shot past the advancing Nordfelt.
The goal – Watkins’ fourth in his last five matches – was a deserved lead and Brentford might have improved it had an offside flag not denied Maupay.
Fortunate to be only a goal down at the break, Swansea needed a spark at the start of the second-half and found it when the speedy Daniel James forced Ezri Konsa to concede a free-kick and yellow card when he pulled back the Swans winger.
Bersant Celina – the Swans’ former Manchester City midfielder – curled his shot around the wall and although Luke Daniels pushed the ball against a post, the ball rebounded off the keeper’s back for the equaliser.
Level just four minutes after the restart, the Swans almost conceded again when Benrahma crossed from the left but the ball was scrambled clear.
Swansea rode their luck and by the 53rd minute they moved into a dramatic lead thanks to a glorious individual goal by Daniel James.
Brentford messed up a free-kick on the edge of the Swansea penalty area, but when the ball broke to James he was a full 70 yards from goal.
The Wales international simply outpaced the cover, took the ball wide to the right and then found the composure to thump the ball past Daniels.
Brentford’s implosion was almost complete seven minutes later when Konsa inexplicably lunged in again at James and was a shown a red card.
Swansea were now buoyant and the turnaround in this tie was emphatic when they made it 3-1 through Celina in the 66th minute.
The Kosovan international showed quick feet and a neat touch to go past Canos and Julian Jeanvier before slotting the ball into the far corner.
The visitors’ meltdown appeared to continue when another high tempo Swans attack ended with Connor Roberts hitting the net for a fourth time – only to be ruled out for offside.
But Swansea finished on a high when James tormented Brentford for the umpteenth time and Byers scored with a low drive from the edge of the box.
