James Milner dedicates goal against Man City to former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota as he performs his trademark celebration
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James Milner dedicated his first goal for Brighton to his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota during their Premier League match against Manchester City.
Trailing 0-1, Brighton earned a penalty in the 66th minute when Nunes handled the ball. Milner confidently scored from the spot, sending his shot into the bottom-left corner while staring down goalkeeper James Trafford. After scoring, he celebrated by performing Jota's iconic PlayStation celebration as a tribute.
The game ended with Brighton securing a 2-1 victory. Following Milner's equalizer, Brighton pressed onwards and eventually scored the winner in the 89th minute. Rutter held the ball and passed to Mitoma, who then fed Gruda. Gruda beat two defenders before scoring into the bottom-left corner past Trafford.
Diogo Jota, who signed for Liverpool in 2020 for a reported £41 million, played 182 games and scored 65 goals for the club over five seasons. He won the 2024-25 Premier League, one FA Cup, and two EFL Cups with Liverpool. Internationally, he represented Portugal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, two UEFA European Championships, and won the Nations League in 2019 and 2025. Jota's recent tragic death in a car crash this summer profoundly shocked the football community.
Following Jota’s passing, Liverpool retired the number 20 jersey, which Milner took after teammate Carlos Baleba vacated it. Milner’s goal and celebration were widely seen as a heartfelt homage to Jota’s memory.
This goal was also Milner’s first for Brighton and pivotal in securing Brighton’s first win of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
PP