The Sheriff of London Charity Shield, a prominent charity match before the establishment of the Charity Shield/Community Shield, was contested on this day in 1904. The match featured the best amateur side of the period, typically the Corinthian Football Club, against a top professional team. In 1904, the Corinthians faced Bury, the FA Cup winners from the previous year. The match took place at the Queen’s Club, the home ground of the Corinthians, which is now more renowned as a tennis venue. Bury fielded ten players from the team that had defeated Derby County 6-0 in the FA Cup final, a record-winning margin that has only been equalled by Manchester City in 2019. Despite Bury taking an early 2-0 lead within the first ten minutes, the Corinthians displayed remarkable skill and were leading 4-2 by halftime. The match concluded with the Corinthians securing a 10-3 victory.
5th March 1938
--------------
On this day, White Hart Lane witnessed its record attendance during an FA Cup 6th Round tie between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. A crowd of 75,038 spectators gathered to watch the match. Sunderland, the cup holders at the time, emerged victorious with a 1-0 win, courtesy of a goal by Raich Carter. Although this was the record attendance at White Hart Lane, Tottenham’s highest ‘home’ attendance was technically set in November 2016. During that period, Spurs were playing their home matches at Wembley Stadium while White Hart Lane was being rebuilt, and 85,512 fans attended their Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen.
5th March 2023
--------------
The Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on this day was highly anticipated. Leading up to the match, the two clubs experienced contrasting fortunes. Liverpool had suffered a 5-2 defeat at Anfield against Real Madrid in a Champions League match, marking the first time they had conceded five goals at home in a competitive match since 1953. Meanwhile, Manchester United had recently celebrated their first trophy win since 2017, having defeated Newcastle in the Carabao League Cup Final at Wembley. The match at Anfield ended in a historic 7-0 victory for Liverpool, equalling their highest league goals tally against Manchester United, a record previously set in 1895 and 1908. It also matched the most goals Manchester United had ever conceded in a league match, a record dating back to 1931.