James Milner has become the Premier League‘s third-highest appearance maker after coming off the bench in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Milner has now overtaken Frank Lampard by recording his 610th outing, more than 20 years on from his league debut with Leeds.
The 37-year-old achieved the feat when he was brought on during a flat Liverpool performance away at Chelsea on Tuesday night.
He was introduced alongside Cody Gakpo as part of a double substitution which saw Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez removed from the field with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Liverpool signed Milner on a free transfer in the summer of 2015, and he has since gone on to make 221 of his Premier League appearances in a red shirt, more than he achieved at any of his other clubs (Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Man City).
In that time, he has scored 26 goals for the Reds in all competitions, 19 of which have come from 12 yards as he established himself as one of the club’s most prolific penalty-takers.
Remarkably, Milner is the only active player in the top 30 of the Premier League‘s all-time chart, with colleague and friend Jordan Henderson the closest to him in that category with 421 appearances.
The veteran still has some way to go if he is to catch Gareth Barry’s total of 652, with the midfielder yet to sign an extension on his contract which expires this summer.
He also finds himself 22 games behind second-placed Ryan Giggs (632) and will require another season in the top flight if he wishes to climb the ladder further.
And Milner would certainly need to find more regular football elsewhere if he is to surpass Barry’s unprecedented 652 apperances, having seen his role at Liverpool decrease during his twilight years.
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