Brentford 0-2 Brighton (Feb 21, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN Skip to main content Skip to navigation ESPN NFL NFL NBA NBA NCAAM NCAAM NCAAW NCAAW Olympics Olympics NHL NHL Soccer Soccer More Sports More Sports Watch Watch Fantasy Fantasy Where to Watch Search Brentford v Brighton 2025-26 English Premier League Brentford Brentford BRE 12-4-11 , 40 PTS 0 12-4-11 , 40 PTS FT Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton BHA 8-10-9 , 34 PTS 2 8-10-9 , 34 PTS Diego Gómez – 30' Danny Welbeck – 45'+1' Summary Report Commentary Statistics Line-Ups Videos Brighton win at Brentford as James Milner sets new Premier League appearance record By PA Updated: Feb 21, 2026, 12:47 pm Facebook Facebook Messenger Twitter Email Brighton 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 Hürzeler 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 Gómez 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 the Gtech Community Stadium. Brighton and Hove Albion's James Milner applauds the fans Peter Tarry/PA Images via Getty Images History was made at Brentford with Milner given only his fifth start this season, but a wayward first pass was roundly cheered by Brentford fans. Both goalkeepers were busy early on with Caoimhín Kelleher tested by visiting captain Lewis Dunk before Bart Verbruggen’s poor clearance went unpunished by Mathias Jensen . Kelleher spilled an effort by Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood soon after, which sparked a spell of dominance for the out-of-form Seagulls. Milner was involved in the first clear-cut opportunity with a lovely chipped pass into Hinshelwood, who headed down for Kaoru Mitoma , but Kelleher kicked away his scuffed effort. Another chance followed when Pascal Gross’ corner went through to the back post for Milner, but he lashed wide. Mitoma sent another shot straight at Kelleher before Brentford responded with Jordan Henderson able to pick out Igor Thiago , who smashed off target. It failed to stop the momentum of Hurzeler’s team and they ended a three-match goal drought in the 30th minute. A wonderful curled effort by Ferdi Kadioglu almost halted the run only for his strike to hit the crossbar, but Gomez reacted quickest to fire in the loose ball. Vitaly Janelt fired off target for Brentford in response before home boss Keith Andrews was forced to bring off the injured Aaron Hickey . Bees captain Collins was sent on but first involvement result in Brighton’s second goal in stoppage-time. Hinshelwood burst down the right and crossed into the area where Collins’ made a mess of an attempted back heel clearance and Welbeck fired home to make it 2-0. Andrews reacted at half-time with Yehor Yarmoliuk and Kevin Schade introduced, but it failed to spark Brentford into life. Substitute Collins directed one header wide before Mikkel Damsgaard was turned to in the 67th minute. It momentarily lifted Brentford but Jensen could only head off target before Dango Ouattara flicked over from Thiago’s knock-down. Verbruggen denied Damsgaard late on and produced an even better stop to prevent an own goal by Joël Veltman to ensure Brighton claimed a first victory in seven before Milner celebrated passionately in front of the away fans after full-time. Game Information Gtech Community Stadium 10:00 AM , February 21, 2026 Coverage : Peacock Brentford , England Attendance : 17,163 English Premier League Standings Team GP W D L GD P Arsenal 27 17 7 3 +32 58 Manchester City 26 16 5 5 +30 53 Aston Villa 27 15 6 6 +10 51 Chelsea 27 12 9 6 +17 45 Manchester United 26 12 9 5 +10 45 Liverpool 26 12 6 8 +6 42 Brentford 27 12 4 11 +3 40 Everton 26 10 7 9 -1 37 AFC Bournemouth 26 9 10 7 -2 37 Newcastle United 26 10 6 10 0 36 Sunderland 26 9 9 8 -3 36 Brighton & Hove Albion 27 8 10 9 +2 34 Fulham 26 10 4 12 -5 34 Crystal Palace 26 8 8 10 -4 32 Leeds United 27 7 10 10 -9 31 Tottenham Hotspur 26 7 8 11 -1 29 Nottingham Forest 26 7 6 13 -13 27 West Ham United 26 6 6 14 -17 24 Burnley 27 4 7 16 -23 19 Wolverhampton Wanderers 27 1 7 19 -32 10 Full Table Premier League News James Milner breaks record for most Premier League appearances James Milner has broken the record for the most appearances in Premier League history. Brighton win at Brentford as James Milner sets new Premier League appearance record Brighton marked James Milner's record-breaking 654th Premier League appearance with a much-needed 2-0 win at Brentford. Tammy Abraham scores first goal back at Aston Villa to snatch late point vs. Leeds Tammy Abraham netted his first Premier League goal since returning to Aston Villa to rescue a late 1-1 draw against Leeds at Villa Park. All Premier League News Terms of Use Privacy Policy Interest-Based Ads EU Privacy Rights Cookie Policy Manage Privacy Preferences © ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
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