diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Parsing.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Parsing.hs
index 0bb609e5d..44a64c80a 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Parsing.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Parsing.hs
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@ data ParserState = ParserState
       stateAuthors         :: [[Inline]],    -- ^ Authors of document
       stateDate            :: [Inline],      -- ^ Date of document
       stateHeaderTable     :: [HeaderType],  -- ^ Ordered list of header types used
-      stateHeaders         :: [[Inline]],    -- ^ List of headers (used for implicit ref links)
+      stateHeaders         :: M.Map Inlines String, -- ^ List of headers and ids (used for implicit ref links)
       stateIdentifiers     :: [String],      -- ^ List of header identifiers used
       stateNextExample     :: Int,           -- ^ Number of next example
       stateExamples        :: M.Map String Int, -- ^ Map from example labels to numbers
@@ -823,7 +823,7 @@ defaultParserState =
                   stateAuthors         = [],
                   stateDate            = [],
                   stateHeaderTable     = [],
-                  stateHeaders         = [],
+                  stateHeaders         = M.empty,
                   stateIdentifiers     = [],
                   stateNextExample     = 1,
                   stateExamples        = M.empty,
diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
index e037c0897..29eac02bf 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
@@ -390,15 +390,22 @@ header = setextHeader <|> atxHeader <?> "header"
 --  returns unique identifier
 addToHeaderList :: Attr -> F Inlines -> MarkdownParser Attr
 addToHeaderList (ident,classes,kvs) text = do
-  let headerList = B.toList $ runF text defaultParserState
-  updateState $ \st -> st{ stateHeaders = headerList : stateHeaders st }
-  (do guardEnabled Ext_auto_identifiers
-      ids <- stateIdentifiers `fmap` getState
-      let id' = if null ident
-                   then uniqueIdent headerList ids
-                   else ident
-      updateState $ \st -> st{ stateIdentifiers = id' : ids }
-      return (id',classes,kvs)) <|> return ("",classes,kvs)
+  let header' = runF text defaultParserState
+  exts <- getOption readerExtensions
+  let insert' = M.insertWith (\_new old -> old)
+  if null ident && Ext_auto_identifiers `Set.member` exts
+     then do
+       ids <- stateIdentifiers `fmap` getState
+       let id' = uniqueIdent (B.toList header') ids
+       updateState $ \st -> st{
+              stateIdentifiers = id' : ids,
+              stateHeaders = insert' header' id' $ stateHeaders st }
+       return (id',classes,kvs)
+     else do
+        unless (null ident) $
+          updateState $ \st -> st{
+               stateHeaders = insert' header' ident $ stateHeaders st }
+        return (ident,classes,kvs)
 
 atxHeader :: MarkdownParser (F Blocks)
 atxHeader = try $ do
@@ -1539,13 +1546,13 @@ referenceLink constructor (lab, raw) = do
     case M.lookup key keys of
        Nothing        -> do
          headers <- asksF stateHeaders
-         let ref' = B.toList $ runF (if labIsRef then lab else ref)
-                               defaultParserState
-         if implicitHeaderRefs && ref' `elem` headers
-            then do
-              let src = '#' : uniqueIdent ref' []
-              constructor src "" <$> lab
-            else (\x -> B.str "[" <> x <> B.str "]" <> B.str raw') <$> fallback
+         let ref' = runF (if labIsRef then lab else ref) defaultParserState
+         let makeFallback x = B.str "[" <> x <> B.str "]" <> B.str raw'
+         if implicitHeaderRefs
+            then case M.lookup ref' headers of
+                   Just ident -> constructor ('#':ident) "" <$> lab
+                   Nothing    -> makeFallback <$> fallback
+            else makeFallback <$> fallback
        Just (src,tit) -> constructor src tit <$> lab
 
 bareURL :: MarkdownParser (F Inlines)
diff --git a/tests/markdown-reader-more.native b/tests/markdown-reader-more.native
index 84d3a71e2..612358522 100644
--- a/tests/markdown-reader-more.native
+++ b/tests/markdown-reader-more.native
@@ -61,8 +61,9 @@
 ,Header 2 ("implicit-header-references",[],[]) [Str "Implicit",Space,Str "header",Space,Str "references"]
 ,Header 3 ("my-header-1",[],[]) [Str "My",Space,Str "header"]
 ,Header 3 ("my-other-header",[],[]) [Str "My",Space,Str "other",Space,Str "header"]
-,Para [Str "A",Space,Str "link",Space,Str "to",Space,Link [Str "My",Space,Str "header"] ("#my-header",""),Str "."]
-,Para [Str "Another",Space,Str "link",Space,Str "to",Space,Link [Str "it"] ("#my-header",""),Str "."]
+,Para [Str "A",Space,Str "link",Space,Str "to",Space,Link [Str "My",Space,Str "header"] ("#my-header-1",""),Str "."]
+,Para [Str "Another",Space,Str "link",Space,Str "to",Space,Link [Str "it"] ("#my-header-1",""),Str "."]
+,Para [Str "Link",Space,Str "to",Space,Link [Str "Explicit",Space,Str "header",Space,Str "attributes"] ("#foobar",""),Str "."]
 ,Para [Str "But",Space,Str "this",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "link",Space,Str "to",Space,Link [Str "My",Space,Str "other",Space,Str "header"] ("/foo",""),Str ",",Space,Str "since",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "reference",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "defined."]
 ,Header 2 ("foobar",["baz"],[("key","val")]) [Str "Explicit",Space,Str "header",Space,Str "attributes"]
 ,Header 2 ("line-blocks",[],[]) [Str "Line",Space,Str "blocks"]
diff --git a/tests/markdown-reader-more.txt b/tests/markdown-reader-more.txt
index b0a4ff6e8..cf5e930e1 100644
--- a/tests/markdown-reader-more.txt
+++ b/tests/markdown-reader-more.txt
@@ -144,6 +144,8 @@ A link to [My header].
 
 Another link to [it][My header].
 
+Link to [Explicit header attributes].
+
 [my other header]: /foo
 
 But this is not a link to [My other header], since the reference is defined.