A familiar Anfield moment during Liverpool’s latest home fixture quietly highlighted something deeper about standards, leadership and what still connects past and present at this club.James Milner returned to L4 wearing the No.20, a shirt now heavy with meaning, as Brighton visited Merseyside in a Premier League contest that ended in victory for us.The former Leeds man, now 39, marked his 646th senior league appearance, moving him to within touching distance of Gareth Barry’s all-time Premier League record of 653.After the match, the veteran midfielder posted a message on X that underlined exactly why he remains so revered around Anfield.“Disappointing result but happy to be back out on the pitch and a special moment to play at Anfield wearing the #20,” he wrote, before adding, “A massive thank you for the incredible welcome from the Anfield crowd YNWA.”He also acknowledged the away support, saying, “Also to the travelling fans for you continued support we need you over this period”.Why Milner still matters to Liverpool standardsDisappointing result but happy to be back out on the pitch and a special moment to play at Anfield wearing the #20 A massive thank you for the incredible welcome from the Anfield crowd YNWA Also to the travelling fans for you continued support we need you over this period.… pic.twitter.com/NrCTpi3Zgd— James Milner (@JamesMilner) December 13, 2025For us, it is impossible to separate Milner from the culture shift that defined Liverpool’s modern era.The former England international set benchmarks alongside Jordan Henderson, who remains the second-highest appearance maker among active players on 446 games.That influence was summed up perfectly when Jason McAteer recently warned that Liverpool miss a Milner and Henderson-type presence, saying: “When it wasn’t going well… they had James Milner and Jordan Henderson – real characters not just off the pitch but on it.”Those words resonate even now, particularly as our current squad navigates pressure moments under Arne Slot in his second season with the club.Milner, Jota and a number that means more(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)There was added significance in seeing Milner wearing No.20, a number retired across Liverpool’s teams following the tragic death of Diogo Jota earlier this summer.The bond between the two was well documented, with the Portuguese forward previously saying: “For me, since the beginning I always looked up at James Milner.”That respect flowed both ways at Anfield, where his name was sung and his contribution visibly acknowledged by us once again.As Liverpool continue building under our head coach, moments like this remind us that standards are not abstract ideas.They are lived, modelled, and remembered and Milner remains one of the clearest examples of that legacy in action.Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobileThe post Former Liverpool midfielder explains why Anfield still feels like home appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.