Liverpool underwhelms in 0-0 draw with Leeds in Premier League. Man City visits Sunderland later

Liverpool labored to a 0-0 home draw with Leeds in the Premier League on Thursday, extending its unbeaten run to eight games but underwhelming again amid key absences up front.

Hugo Ekitike's misdirected header from in front of goal in the first half was the only clear-cut chance at Anfield for Liverpool, which lacked inspiration in attack with Alexander Isak injured and Mohamed Salah at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Liverpool, the defending champion, stayed in fourth and was 12 points behind first-place Arsenal at the halfway point of the campaign.

Since a 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Nov. 26, Liverpool has played seven games in the Premier League — winning four of them and drawing the other three. It has struggled to find much fluency, however, with Liverpool manager Arne Slot placing extra emphasis on being tighter at the back after the team's early season woes.

“This season multiple times we have conceded a goal in a game like this and that’s a positive thing today,” Slot said.

The other result in the recent undefeated streak was a victory at Inter Milan in the Champions League.

In another game Tuesday, Crystal Palace and Fulham drew 1-1. Jean-Philippe Mateta's opener for Palace was canceled out by Tom Cairney.

Later Thursday, second-place Manchester City visits Sunderland and Brentford hosts Tottenham.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, left, and Leeds' Gabriel Gudmundsson challenge for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot, left, passes the ball to Liverpool's Andrew Robertson during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike controls the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike, right, and Leeds' James Justin, center, challenge for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Rain poured down on the iconic Rose Parade on Thursday for the first time in 20 years, as flood warnings and evacuation orders in Southern California joined snow squalls and frigid temperatures in the country's midsection to mark the first day of 2026.

Marching bands, floats and throngs of spectators were soaked by one to two inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of New Year’s Day rain at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena. The mercury stood at a chilly 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14.4 degrees Celsius) at the 8 a.m. start of the parade.

Across the country, in New York City, hats and gloves were as necessary as noisemakers at the city's New Year's Eve ball drop, where temperatures near freezing appeared to be the coldest in 10 years.

Hundreds of thousands of people gather along the nearly six-mile (10-kilometer) route in Pasadena, where the two-hour parade kicked off. Millions more watch on national television. Organizers at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the group that organizes the parade ahead of the Rose Bowl college football game, said they made only small changes to accommodate the weather, such as the tops being up on convertibles carrying grand marshal Earvin “Magic” Johnson and other VIPs.

Rain forecasts for the Rose Parade, which had been dry for 20 years, grew all week. On Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for all California counties and a coastal flood advisory through Sunday afternoon along much of the Pacific Coast near San Francisco.

Meanwhile, residents in the areas hit hardest by last year's devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires were under evacuation warnings.

In New York City, the sun came out ahead of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inaugural celebration, but other areas of the Northeast and Midwest were hit by an Alberta clipper storm and trailing Arctic front that brought snow squalls and high winds.

Conditions varied widely — from snow showers to heavier squalls — from Wisconsin through northern Illinois and Michigan and into northern New Jersey, southeastern New York and New England.

About a quarter of flights were delayed out of both San Diego International Airport and Boston Logan, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Workers clear rain water off the playing field before the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Rain comes down on attendees at the 137th Rose Parade Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Rain comes down on attendees at the 137th Rose Parade Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Workers clear rain water off the playing field before the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Rain comes down on a float at the 137th Rose Parade Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)