Yoane Wissa ensured Manchester United were brought crashing back to earth with a bump this weekend as the relentless Democratic Republic of Congo frontman continues to fuel Brentford's dreams of first-ever European qualification.
Currently in ninth, Brentford remain in contention for European qualification for the first time in their history, with an eighth-placed finish in the league potentially leading to a place in the Conference League.
The loss was a rude reality check for Ruben Amorim's Red Devils after their midweek heroics in the UEFA Europa League, with Wissa the chief architect of their latest league defeat - the 16th of United's season.
The Red Devils became the latest team to have failed to neutralise Brentford's star man this term; Wissa's late strike was his fourth in his last four matches, and his 18th league goal of a fine campaign for the striker as he's spearheaded the club's post-Ivan Toney evolution.
Coming in the 74th minute, Wissa put Brentford 4-1 up on the day against United - following a masterclass from two-goal wideman Kevin Schade - and proved enough to secure all three points despite the visitors' late rally.
After United were again prised open by a swift Brentford interchange in the middle, adventurous Italo-Nigerian left-sider Michael Kayode pulled clear of Harry Amass and only had to cross invitingly for the advancing Wissa to finish.
The 28-year-old made no mistake from six yards out, evading the advancing Tyler Fredricson, before tapping home beyond the hapless Altay Bayindir.
It wasn't the first critical intervention the forward had made during the course of the contest, as he'd got the better of an earlier clash with Matthijs de Lift which resulted in the Netherlands defender being withdrawn with injury.
As the season draws to a close, Wissa's form is hitting another level, swelling Brentford's expectations in the process.
He's had a hand in five goals in his last four matches in the top flight, his finest such run of form this campaign, and this is the first time in his professional career that he's has scored in four consecutive games.
Already, records have fallen this season; this recent run of form has seen him break his previous career best for league goals in a single campaign, while he also became Brentford's all-time top Premier League scorer when he netted in January's comeback against Manchester City.
To date, he has 44 PL goals for the Londoners, having now pulled eight goals clear of club legend Toney, who previously led the goal charts for Thomas Frank's side.
In tune without Toney
When Toney departed for Saudi Arabia in August, there was a quiet confidence about the top flight minnows, with their Danish head coach backing Wissa and his sidekick Bryan Mbeumo to help the club bounce back from losing their talismanic frontman.
"Ivan was a fantastic player for us, but I know that when people leave the club others have opportunities to shine," Frank said in November.
"I know the level of Wissa and Bryan, and I know when Ivan was out, [they] scored a lot of goals. With that knowledge I knew we wouldn't lack goals."
He's been vindicated... and then some... for comments that may have appeared unduly optimistic last summer.
Having previously operated in a supporting role alongside Toney, Wissa has blossomed into the focal point of Brentford's attack, where his poaching instincts, technique and finishing have all improved significantly over the last 12 months.
Now the Bees' chief offensive threat, Wissa is looking like a complete, rounded Prem forward, where his interplay with Mbeumo and Schade has helped get the best out of both of his fellow attackers.
Even given his optimism of late 2024, Frank wouldn't have foreseen Wissa eclipsing Toney's best scoring year in the Prem, although - with three to play - the central African finds himself only two goals away from the England striker's 20-goal haul of 22-23.
Last season, with Toney suspended due to a gambling violation, Brentford had a glimpse of what life without the striker would be like, and how Wissa would help Frank fill the gap. The hard-working forward demonstrated then how his versatility, tactical flexibility, and impressive physique would underpin the evolution of Brentford's attacking options.
Whether in a 4-3-3 formation with Wissa flanked by Mbeumo and Schade, or in a 3-5-2 with the Congolese attacker paired with his Cameroonian counterpart, Brentford have been able to give opponents headaches going forward.
No one expected Brentford to be better without Toney, but a case could be made that this Wissa-led evolution is more effective than before the £40million-striker's exit to Al-Ahli.
Will the dream duo of Wissa and Mbeumo be split?
Already, this term, Frank's side have scored more goals than in their previous three Prem campaigns - including when Toney was available throughout - and need seven points from their last three matches to equal their best PL points haul.
No other team in the division has a dual goal threat as potent as Brentford, with Wissa and Mbeumo both currently on 18 goals - 58 percent of the club's league goals. It's only the second time in the last five years that a team from outside the traditional big six have boasted two players with 20 or more direct goal involvements during a single season.
While the prospect of this Wissa-Mbeumo double act leading the Bees on a first ever European adventure is tantalising, it remains to be seen whether the pair will still be at the Gtech Community Stadium come the start of next season.
Throughout the campaign, Mbeumo has been at the heart of transfer rumours linking him to some of Europe's biggest sides, but latterly, Wissa too has been tipped for a major summer move, with the likes of Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur already having been named in the UK media as potential suitors.
Brentford don't seem unduly concerned.
"If I was looking at a striker or a wide player as another club then they have to be on a shortlist, you would imagine," Brentford's Director of Football Phil Giles told BBC Sport, "but the number of clubs that can sign them is a small number worldwide, so time will tell if a club has that need or requirement. At the moment, we are pretty relaxed.
"We're a Premier League club we don't need to sell Wissa, Mbeumo and others," he added, "but if a big club makes a really good offer for our players then we have to look at it."
For Frank, the pair's magnetic chemistry helps the duo reach new heights together, and so while the prospect of pastures new would surely appeal, particularly for Wissa, approaching 29, this partnership still may have another level to discover.
"They love each other, they definitely act like that," Frank told Stadium Astro. "They are so energetic, smiling, two players [who are] coming every day, and working very hard individually to try and push and get better. They push themselves to this level.
"This magic relationship helps when you're close as friends when you look for each other on the pitch, when you understand each other."
With Wissa and Mbeumo about to enter the final years of their contract, both players and club may have some big decisions to make over the months to come.
As they take Brentford to the brink of yet another fascinating chapter in this club's remarkable rise, it remains to be seen whether we're witnessing the final matches of this latest Brentford evolution.