Virgil van Dijk can equal Premier League record if Liverpool avoid defeat to Leeds United tonight

Virgil van Dijk can equal a near-26-year-old record set by Manchester United’s Lee Sharpe if Liverpool avoid defeat to Leeds United on Wednesday evening.

The Reds defender is currently on an unbeaten home run in the Premier League of 58 games - one short of Sharpe, who didn’t lose a Premier League game at Old Trafford for four seasons before moving to Wednesday’s visitors Leeds and losing against Sheffield Wednesday.

And Van Dijk can equal that record if his side beat a struggling Whites outfit at Anfield, with a home game against West Ham the chance to break it.

The incredible numbers behind the run

Since Van Dijk’s home Premier League debut - a 2-2 draw with Tottenham on February 4, 2018 - the Dutchman has gone 1,480 days without tasting defeat at Anfield.

The 58 game run has consisted of 50 wins and 8 draws, with a win rate of 86.2% and a points per game average of 2.72.

In the same time, Liverpool have conceded just 40 goals with Van Dijk at the back - a goals per game average of just 0.69.

His run has consisted of four games against Arsenal, three against Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea and two against Manchester United, all without loss.

Liverpool have also kept 29 clean sheets during those 58 games - a clean sheet every other game.

Absent for the Anfield collapse

Last season’s capitulation at Anfield was without - and seemingly because of the absence of - van Dijk, as Jurgen Klopp’s threadbare and fatigued Reds were beaten by Burnley to end a 68-game unbeaten streak at Anfield.

Liverpool went on to lose six Premier League games in a row at Anfield in a quite unbelievable collapse.

It means that Liverpool’s home Premier League record without Van Dijk since his 2018 arrival reads six defeats in 17 games, a quite remarkable drop-off in the absence of the Dutch giant.

Van Dijk and Liverpool will know that they will likely need to keep that run going all season if they are to stand any chance of catching Manchester City, and they have six games left at Anfield after Wednesday’s hosting of Leeds which could take the record up to 65.

For now, they will just be focused on Wednesday and upping that win rate just a touch more.