Liverpool v Leeds United: Cody Gakpo chasing an Ian Rush New Year milestone
Liverpool head into Thursday’s Premier League meeting with Leeds United with a familiar New Year storyline, and a name that always lands with extra weight at Anfield, Ian Rush.
Cody Gakpo could record a rare goal feat for Liverpool in Thursday’s Premier League clash with Leeds United.
The Dutchman has scored in the Reds’ first top flight match of each of the last two years, against Newcastle United and Manchester United.
Netting versus Leeds at Anfield on New Year’s Day would make him the first Liverpool man to extend that run to three years in a row since Ian Rush did so in 1985, 1986 and 1987.
That is the sort of statistical hook that sounds neat on paper, yet it also speaks to something tangible. There is pressure on first fixtures, especially when the calendar flips and expectations reset, but Gakpo has repeatedly looked comfortable in those moments. If he finds the net again, it becomes more than a quirky line, it becomes continuity, confidence and a connection to an era defined by Rush’s ruthless reliability.
Cody Gakpo’s chance to join Ian Rush in Liverpool history
Whenever Ian Rush’s name appears in the record books, it tends to come with a reminder of standards. Liverpool supporters remember the goals, the movement, the relentlessness, and they also remember that his achievements were rarely isolated, they arrived in clusters, built on consistency.
For Cody Gakpo, the challenge is straightforward. Deliver again on New Year’s Day, at Anfield, against a Leeds side that will not arrive to admire the scenery. Liverpool will create chances at home, but the sharper edge matters, and these milestone moments often hinge on one clean action, one finish, one decision made a fraction earlier than everyone else.
Anfield trends that favour Liverpool on New Year’s Day
History leans Liverpool’s way in this slot. Liverpool have won five of their last six Premier League games on New Year’s Day (one draw), with their last defeat coming at home to Chelsea in 2005.
Meanwhile, they have not lost their first game of the year when it has been at Anfield on any of the last nine occasions (six wins, three draws).
There is also the Leeds factor. Liverpool have scored 19 goals in their last five Premier League matches against Leeds. Liverpool have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League meetings with Leeds (eight wins, four draws), with that defeat coming in October 2022 at Anfield.
Leeds United threats and early game patterns
Leeds, though, bring their own form line. Leeds are unbeaten in their last 10 league matches played in January (six wins, four draws). No team has scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes in the Premier League this term than Leeds (five).
That early punch matters. Liverpool’s control at Anfield can be undermined if the visitors start fast and turn the match into a sprint. A quick Leeds goal changes the mood, it changes the tempo, and it forces Liverpool into risk.
Key Liverpool milestones to watch alongside Cody Gakpo
Liverpool’s individual targets are not limited to Gakpo. Curtis Jones ranks second in the whole division for both average number of passes (83) and touches (98) per 90 minutes. Virgil van Dijk is the only Liverpool player to have featured for every minute of the top flight campaign to date.
A clean sheet would see Alisson Becker become only the fifth Liverpool goalkeeper in history to total 100 clean sheets in the league, after Ray Clemence, Bruce Grobbelaar, Pepe Reina and Elisha Scott.
Sixteen players in history have scored a goal for the Reds on all seven days of the week. Hugo Ekitike will join that list if he finds the net in this match.
Liverpool have not conceded a first half goal in any of their last seven games.
The clubs have met twice before on New Year’s Day. The Reds won 3-0 at home in 1991 with goals from John Barnes, Ronny Rosenthal and Rush. Previously, in 1972 Leeds claimed a 2-0 victory at Anfield.
