Brighton mark James Milner’s record-breaking appearance with win at Brentford

The veteran midfielder played his 654th game in the Premier League. SportFootballBrighton mark James Milner’s record-breaking appearance with win at BrentfordThe veteran midfielder played his 654th game in the Premier League.George Sessions Saturday 21 February 2026 17:03 GMTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverJames Milner has made the most appearances in Premier League history (Peter Tarry/PA) (PA Wire)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreBrighton marked James Milner’s record-breaking 654th Premier League appearance with a much-needed 2-0 win at Brentford.The pressure had mounted on Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler after a run of one league win in 13 and he again turned to veteran midfielder Milner in attempt to arrest a worrying run of results.Milner’s inclusion meant he moved past Gareth Barry’s previous record of 653 appearances in the competition and it proved an occasion to remember all round for Brighton after first-half goals by Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck.Gomez scored in the 30th minute to end the visitors’ three-match run without a goal and Brentford captain Nathan Collins was at fault when Welbeck made it 2-0.Collins’ poor clearance allowed Welbeck to fire home for his 10th goal this season before Milner’s special afternoon concluded in the 90th minute with a round of applause from both sets of supporters at Gtech Community Stadium.More aboutJames MilnerBrightonBrentfordFabian HurzelerPremier LeagueMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next