James Milner Equals Premier League Record with 653rd Game

Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder James Milner equalled the Premier League's all-time appearance record on Wednesday, coming off the bench for his 653rd top-flight outing during a 1-0 defeat at former club Aston Villa.

The 40-year-old veteran replaced injured teammate Carlos Baleba in the 22nd minute at Villa Park, marking a milestone in a scrappy match that saw few clear chances. Aston Villa secured the victory with a late goal in the 86th minute, when Tyrone Mings headed Leon Bailey's corner onto Jack Hinshelwood, resulting in an unfortunate own goal for Brighton. The Seagulls, who improved after halftime with efforts from Kaoru Mitoma and Ferdi Kadioglu forcing saves from Emiliano Martinez, have now won just one of their last 13 league games.

Milner's entry leveled him with Gareth Barry, his former Aston Villa and Manchester City teammate, for the most Premier League appearances since the competition's inception in 1992. Barry, who retired in 2020 at age 39 before a brief return with an amateur side last season, held the record alone until this point. The pair shared the pitch 129 times in the Premier League across their overlapping spells at Villa from 2005 to 2009 and at...