Milner’s assist stuns Premier League stat books | OneFootball

James Milner made history for Brighton & Hove Albion during their 4-2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The 39-year-old came off the bench in the 59th minute with the Seagulls three goals down and quickly made his presence felt. In stoppage time, Milner swung in a perfect corner that found 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas, who powered a header past United’s keeper to make it 3-2 and set-up a tense finale.

That assist from Milner set a new record. For the first time ever in Premier League history, a player provided an assist to a teammate who wasn’t even born when the former made his Premier League debut. The age gap between Milner and Kostoulas, 21 years and 146 days, is also the largest ever for an assist-goal combination in the league.

Milner’s appearance at Old Trafford was his 645th in the competition, leaving him only eight games short of Gareth Barry’s all-time record of 653. Should he continue into next season, the Brighton midfielder - who turns 40 in January 2026 - could also surpass Teddy Sheringham as the oldest outfield player in Premier League history.

Despite the defeat, it was another reminder of Milner’s enduring quality and professionalism - a player still rewriting records more than two decades after his debut.