James Milner marked his record-breaking 654th Premier League appearance with a composed midfield display as Brighton & Hove Albion earned a much-needed 2-0 victory at Brentford, ending a six-game winless run and a three-match goal drought in the league while simultaneously halting the momentum of one of the division's form sides.
First-half strikes from Diego Gómez and Danny Welbeck reflected Brighton's superiority before the interval, and although Keith Andrews' Brentford saw more of the ball after the break, they produced an uncharacteristically toothless attacking performance. The Bees, who had taken more points than any other team in the Premier League across their previous 10 matches, slipped to just a third home defeat of the campaign and remain seventh, while Brighton rose two places to 12th, moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone and cut the gap to their hosts to six points.
Milner's historic landmark underpins Brighton's response
Milner's inclusion from the start at the Gtech Community Stadium ensured he overtook Gareth Barry to become the Premier League's outright appearance record-holder, and Hürzeler once again turned to the 40-year-old in search of stability after a run of one league win in 13. Making only his fifth league start of the season, the veteran responded with the kind of intelligent, industrious performance that has sustained a career spanning 23 seasons and six top-flight clubs.