James Milner became the Premier League’s all-time goalscorer in Brighton’s brilliant 2-0 win against high-flying Brentford, easing the pressure on boss Fabian Herzeller.
First-half goals from Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck ended the Seagulls’ six-game winless streak and capped Milner’s record 654th first-half appearance with a victory that destroyed Brentford’s European hopes.
The Bees remain seventh but open the door for eighth-placed Everton to leapfrog them in the Conference League, while Brighton have climbed two places to 12th in the table.
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James Milner made his record 654th Premier League appearance in Brighton’s 2-0 win over Brentford.
The empowered side of the Seagulls was on top from the start. Caoimhin Kelleher almost spilled Jack Hinshelwood’s speculative effort into his own net, before the Irishman had to save the Bees blushes just two minutes later with a smart close-range save from Kaoru Mitoma.
Brentford, however, almost took the lead on a run of play when Thiago cut across goal to volley over Bart Verbruggen’s net, and the home side were made to pay when Gomez converted a superb effort from Ferdi Kadioglu to give the away side the lead after half an hour.
Brighton continued to control proceedings but got the second leg when first-half substitute Nathan Collins mis-kicked Pascal Gross’ tame cross in the direction of Welbeck, who slotted home with aplomb from close range.
Brentford’s chances were few and far between in the second period – Joel Weltman’s late own goal was the only blow in a fantastic defensive display by the centre-back tandem of Jan Paul van Hecke and Louis Dunk that saw Brighton earn their first away win since November, and only their second in the league in 2026.
In numbers: Milner broke the Premier League appearances record
Milner: It will be nice to stop talking about the record!
All-time Premier League record scorer James Milner:
“It will be nice to stop talking about it – especially when it was so important to win today.”
“I always want to play a role in making the team better, improving and winning games.”
“Getting over the mark is a big number. It’s not something I’ve focused on. There’s been a lot of talk about it, but anyone who knows me knows it’s all about the team.
“It’s a good opportunity to give recognition to everyone who helped me, sacrificed for me.”
“Family, friends and people who worked with me, sports physiologists and people like that.
“I was lucky to get there and work with a lot of good clubs and people. I’m so happy to win today.”
Milner’s track record is a testament to quality as well as longevity
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Check out a selection of James Milner’s best Premier League goals as he breaks Gareth Barry’s record for most appearances in the competition.
James Milner made his Premier League debut on November 10, 2002. Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga was born on the same day. Jude Bellingham did not exist. His manager, Fabian Hurzeler, was nine years old.
653 games later, he holds the record for most Premier League appearances of all time.
Milner’s record – spanning 23 seasons and six different clubs – is not just a sign of his incredible fitness and longevity at 40. It is a testimony to his undeniable quality as a football player.
He is a three-time Premier League champion and Champions League winner. His performance on his record day summed up how he got to this point.
Milner played with characteristic poise and maturity, managing the midfield and instructing his team-mates all the way to Brighton’s first win in six out of six games in his first start in eight games. Coincidence? His manager doesn’t think so.
“It’s hard to sum him up in one sentence,” Brighton boss Fabian Herzeler said.
“I think he’s a great leader on the pitch, a great communicator, understands the game pretty well and on top of that he’s still in great shape.”
“I don’t know what he does to get this condition. Every week and every training session he runs the most, he sprints the most, so it’s no surprise to me that he’s able to perform like this.”
“But I think the main thing is really being a great leader, being there to manage the key moments and being there as a communicator, and that’s what he did today.”
He is synonymous with everything you would expect from someone to break a record that seemed so unbreakable. It’s the hard work, leadership and consistency that has seen Milner continue to show he can be just as useful a player at 40 as he was when he burst onto the scene 16,654 appearances ago.
Andrews: We’ve been the best in the league for the last 10 games
Brentford coach Keith Andrews:
“The first half, we didn’t hit the levels that we did pretty consistently. We didn’t play with the same level of intensity that we did really, really well. We certainly gave them a little bit more in the first half.”
“Obviously we’re disappointed; that’s where the game was lost in the first half.”
(On half-time changes): “Over the last 10 games we’ve been the best team in the league and that’s a really high bar. We didn’t repeat in the first half what produced those performance levels and thoroughly deserved results.”
“We have a squad of really good players and I feel some players are not quite at their level, so you try to change the dynamic in it to see if you can get a reaction.”
“It’s not particularly about the two players that came out, obviously it could have been different players, but they were the ones that felt right.