On This Day: Arsenal smashed Inter 5-1; Aguero hat-trick helped City beat Bayern

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (November 25th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!

On This Day in 2003 - Arsenal smashed Inter Milan 5-1

On 25th November 2003, Henry inspired Arsenal to a rout of Inter Milan at the San Siro that put them one win away from the Champions League second round.

French star Henry grabbed the first of his brace to put Arsenal ahead before Vieri equalised with a deflected shot just after the half hour.

Ljungberg put The Gunners back ahead and Henry fired in a superb third goal before Edu and Robert Pires secured a famous victory in the final minutes as the Italians simply collapsed.

On This Day in 2014 - Aguero's hat-trick helped City beat Bayern 3-2

Aguero's hat-trick - including two goals in the last 5 minutes - helped the Sky Blues seal a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich.

Bayern had to play with 10 men for 70 minutes after Benatia was sent off for a foul on Aguero that saw the world-class striker put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot.

But the Germans turned the game on its head before half-time through Xabi Alonso's free-kick and a Robert Lewandowski header.

And that was how it stood until a stirring finish that evoked memories of that famous day in May 2012 when Aguero snatched glorious triumph from despair and won the Premier League title in the dying seconds against QPR.

On This Day in 1981 - Happy Birthday to Xabi Alonso

On 25th November 1981, Spanish former football star Xabi Alonso was born.

Xabi Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, then he moved to Liverpool in August 2004 for £10.5 million and won the UEFA Champions League in his first season, scoring the equalising goal in the Final against Milan. The following season, he won the FA Cup and the FA Community Shield.

He moved to Real Madrid for the start of the 2009–10 season in a deal worth around £30 million. After winning honours including a league title in 2012 and the Champions League in 2014 during five seasons in Madrid, he was signed by Bayern Munich on a two-year contract. This was extended by a further year, and he eventually retired from playing in summer 2017, aged 35, having won the Bundesliga in each of his three seasons with Bayern.

On This Day in 1964 - Liverpool's Red-kit debut!

On 25 November 1964, Liverpool played for the first time in the all-red kit that has since become the club's trademark.

Founded in 1892, Liverpool initially adopted blue and white as their colours. But four years later, they exchanged those colours for a combination of red shirts and white shorts (usually paired with red socks). That scheme remained their home kit until 1964 when manager Bill Shankly proposed the idea of a more intimidating all-red uniform.

According to club legend, Ron Yeats was the first player to model the new colours for Shankly, who reportedly responded by saying "Jesus Christ, son. You look bloody massive. You'll scare them to death."

Liverpool first wore the new home colours in a second-round European Cup match against Anderlecht. And while it's not clear whether they played a psychological effect on the Belgians, Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners on the day with goals from Ian St. John (10'), Roger Hunt (43'), and Yeats (50'). They went on to win the second leg as well and eventually reached the semifinals before falling to Inter Milan.

The club switched to all-red for the start of the 1965-66 season and has worn those colours ever since.

On This Day in 2005 - George Best In Peace

“They'll forget all the rubbish when I've gone and they'll remember the football. If only one person thinks I'm the best player in the world, that's good enough for me...” - George Best, the Belfast Boy

On 25 November 2005, former Northern Ireland international and Manchester United superstar George Best died in London. His death was caused by complications related to a liver transplant required after years of alcohol abuse.

Best was born and raised in Belfast. At the age of 15, he was discovered by a Manchester United scout. He soon became a crowd favourite, with his flashy playing style and long-haired good looks earning him the nickname "the Fifth Beatle" and making him one of football's first international superstars. He helped United to several honours, including the European Cup in 1968, the same year he was named European Footballer of the Year.

Unfortunately, Best's playing career began to suffer as he battled with his alcoholism. He left United in 1974 and started a journey that saw him play for a number of different clubs, including the Los Angeles Aztecs (1976, 1977-78), Fulham (1976-77), Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (1978-79), Hibernian (1979-80), and the San Jose Earthquakes (1980-81). He last played for Tobermore United in the Northern Irish league, for whom he made a single appearance in 1984.

On This Day in 1953 - The Continental Shift

On 25 November 1953, Hungary beat England 3-6 at Wembley, signalling a power shift in international football.

England were widely considered one of the world's best teams and had, to that point, lost only once at home (a defeat to Ireland in 1949). Hungary, however, were a rising power, propelled by their star forward Ferenc Puskás, who had scored 59 goals in 33 national team appearances. They were also riding a 24-game unbeaten streak that stretched back to May 1950 and included a victory over Yugoslavia in the gold medal match at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

The teams met at Wembley for the friendly, with a crowd of 105,000 in attendance. The home team and their supporters were stunned when Hungary took the lead in just the first minute with a goal from midfielder Nándor Hidegkuti. England's Jackie Sewell equalized twelve minutes later, but Hungary pushed back ahead with another goal from Hidegkuti (20') and a brace from Puskás (24', 27').

Puskás's first was emblematic of the day—Puskás evaded an attempted tackle from England captain Billy Wright by dragging the ball back with the sole of his foot, leaving Wright chasing air, then calmly put the ball past keeper Gil Merrick. It was an example of the creativity and style shown by the visitors that day which left the hosts flummoxed.

Stan Mortensen closed the gap to 2-4 at the break with a 38th-minute strike, but a goal from József Bozsik (50') and Hidegkuti's completed hat-trick (53') extended it to 2-6. By the time Alf Ramsey scored the last goal in the 57th minute, the game was all but over.

The result prompted England to re-evaluate their tactics, while Hungary went on to extend their unbeaten streak to reach the final of the 1954 World Cup, where they eventually lost to West Germany.