In 33 seasons of Premier League football, Liverpool have lost the opening fixture of the campaign just three times — winning 20 and drawing 10. On Sunday 23 August, that record faces its sternest challenge yet: an away trip to St James' Park to face Newcastle United.
A record built on consistency
The last time Liverpool fell on opening day was a 3-0 defeat at West Brom on 18 August 2012. Since that afternoon, they have gone 13 straight seasons without losing a season opener — 10 wins and three draws, a run that spans Arne Slot's title triumph in 2024-25 and the fifth-place finish that followed.
Twenty of Liverpool's 33 opening fixtures have been played away from Anfield. They have won 10, drawn eight, and lost just two — both setbacks now more than 14 years old. Whatever difficulties travelling sides face early in a season, Liverpool have consistently met them.
Newcastle's contrasting record
Newcastle United enter Sunday from a starkly different position in the history books. Across the same 33-season span, they have played 31 opening fixtures, winning 11, drawing eight, and losing 12 — a record that amounts to little more than a coin flip.
At St James' Park specifically, their home opening-day record reads eight wins, three draws, and seven defeats in 18 matches. Better than their overall figure, but still a far cry from Liverpool's consistency.
Notably, despite sharing over three decades of Premier League history, these two clubs have never been paired on the opening day until now. Sunday is a first.
Beyond the fixture
This meeting carries weight beyond statistics. Kevin Keegan, who died on 20 July at the age of 75, remains one of the most beloved figures in both clubs' histories. He won three league titles, the European Cup, two UEFA Cups, and the FA Cup in six years at Liverpool before going on to play for and later manage Newcastle United. Three days after his passing, the BBC reported that both clubs were in discussions over a joint tribute before kick-off at St James' Park. Sunday marks the first competitive encounter between the two sides since his death.
What a long run is actually worth
A 33-season record, built across dozens of different squads, tells you nothing conclusive about what happens on any given afternoon. There is no form guide in August, no league table to read. What the record reflects is a habit — and habits are, for now, the only thing either side brings into the game.
Liverpool's new head coach Andoni Iraola, who replaced Slot in June, has already flagged the Newcastle fixture as a key marker.
