James Milner took the pressure off manager Fabian Hürzeler by becoming the Premier League’s all-time appearances leader with Brighton’s impressive 2-0 win over popular Brentford.
First-half goals from Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck ended the Seagulls’ six-game winless run, set Milner’s record for 654 top-flight appearances, and crushed Brentford’s European hopes.
The Bees remain in seventh place, but Everton in eighth place now have a chance of making it into the Conference League, while Brighton have moved up two places to 12th.
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James Milner set a record for his 654th Premier League appearance in Brighton’s 2-0 win over Brentford.
The rejuvenated Seagulls took the lead from the start. Caoihin Kelleher almost diverted a speculative shot from Jack Hinshelwood into his own goal, but the Irishman left the Bees blushing with a smart save from Kaoru Mitoma from close range just two minutes later.
However, Brentford almost took the lead in the dying minutes when Thiago’s over-the-top pass found the back of Bert Verbruggen’s net, but the hosts were made to pay for it when Gomez converted a rebound from Ferdi Kadioglu’s beautiful curling shot to give the visitors the lead after half an hour.
Brighton continued to control the flow of the game, but first-half substitute Nathan Collins misdirected Pascal Gross’s meek cross towards Welbeck, who coolly slotted home from close range to score their second goal.
In the second period, Brentford had few chances. A late Joel Veltman own-goal scare was the only break in a superb defensive performance from centre-back tandem Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk, guiding Brighton to their first away win since November and their second win in the league in 2026.
By the numbers: Milner breaks record for Premier League appearances
Milner: We should stop talking about records!
Premier League all-time appearances record holder James Milner:
“It would be good to stop talking about it, especially when it was so important to get the win today.
“I always want to help the team grow, get better and win games.
“Passing the mark is a big number. It’s not something I’ve been focused on. There’s been a lot of talk about it, but anyone who knows me knows it’s all about the team.
“This is a good opportunity to pay tribute to everyone who has helped me and the sacrifices they have made for me.
“My family, friends, people who have worked with me, sports physiotherapists and people like that.
“I’ve been lucky to come this far and work with a lot of good clubs and people. I’m really happy to win today.”
Milner’s historic record is a testament to quality and longevity
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Take a look at James Milner’s selection of the best Premier League goals, breaking Gareth Barry’s record for most appearances in the competition.
James Milner made his Premier League debut on 10 November 2002. Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga was also born on the same day. Jude Bellingham never existed. His manager, Fabian Hürzeler, was nine years old.
After 653 games, he holds the record for the most appearances in Premier League history.
Milner’s record spanning 23 seasons and six different clubs is not only a testament to his incredible fitness and longevity at 40 years old, but also to his undeniable qualities as a footballer.
He has won the Premier League three times and also won the Champions League. His performance on a record-breaking day summed up how he got here.
Milner held the midfield together with his characteristic composure and maturity, guiding his teammates throughout Brighton’s first start in eight games and their first win in six. Coincidence? His manager doesn’t think so.
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler said: “It’s difficult to describe him in one word.”
“I think he’s a great leader on the pitch and a great communicator. He understands the game well and is still very healthy on top of that.”
“I don’t know what he does to get this fitness. Every week and every training session he runs the most and sprints the most, so it’s not surprising to me that he can perform like this.”
“But I think the important thing is to be a really great leader, to be there to manage the big moments, to be there as a communicator. And that’s what he did today.”
He is everything you would expect from someone who would break records that seemed unlikely to be broken. The hard work, leadership and composure that made Milner continue to prove that he can still be as effective a player at the age of 40 as he was before playing 16,654 games.
Andrews: “Over the last 10 games we’ve had the best record in the league.”
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews:
“In the first half, we just didn’t get to the level that we’ve been consistently at. We didn’t really play well, with the same level of intensity that we’ve always done. We certainly gave them a little bit of a lead in the first half.
“We’re obviously disappointed. That’s where we lost the game in the first half.”
(On half-time substitutions) “In the last 10 games we have been the best team in the league, but that’s a very high bar. In the first half we couldn’t reproduce what gave us that level of performance and the result we so well deserved.”
“We’ve got some really good players, but I feel like some players aren’t particularly up to my level, so we should try and change the dynamics within the team and see if we can get a reaction.
“It’s not particularly the fault of the two players who were sent off. Obviously it could have been the wrong player, but they were the players that we felt were right.”
