On This Day: Gerrard scored first Liverpool goal, Arsenal won 26-1 over Paris XI

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (December 5th) 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 1999, Gerrard scored his first ever goal for Liverpool

Gerrard was hurtling towards the Anfield Road End away from us, his long legs and skinny frame allowing him to fly forward in his number 28 shirt with long sleeves.

He took the ball onto his favoured right foot, being given all the space in the world by the Wednesday defence and time to glance up and contemplate his options.

Gerrard was making a very direct route for goal through the centre. When the first Wednesday defender approached him, just outside the ‘D’, he expertly took the ball wide of his oncoming tackle and dummied to go back inside as he entered the penalty area – finding space to the right of the penalty spot.

Then came the finish. Through on goal with several experienced Wednesday defenders chasing him, Gerrard hit the ball low and accurately past Wednesday keeper Kevin Pressman in a strike that would later become recognisable to him.

On this day in 1904, Arsenal beat a Paris XI in friendly by the record score of 26-1

The Gunners, still known at the time as Woolwich Arsenal, were in their second season under manager Phil Kelso, who had guided them to a tenth-place league finish the previous spring. 

Their opponents were a collection of players based in Paris. Though no official records of the match remain, it is widely believed that the side included many members of the French national team, with one notable exception--the side was short a man, so borrowed the services of an Arsenal reserve believed to be W.J. "Chips" Hodge.

It is known for certain that Arsenal won 26-1, a scoreline that remains a club record. The top scorer of the day was inside forward Bob Watson, who provided seven goals. He never displayed that kind of form in the league, however, scoring only once in ten competitive appearances for the club.

On this day in 1995, Anthony Martial was born

Martial is a French footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United and the France national team. He was the recipient of the 2015 Golden Boy Award.

Martial made his first competitive appearance for 18/19 season in their 3-2 loss to Brighton. Through August and September, Martial made three other substitute appearance. However two weeks prior saw Martial start in Champions League opener and score his first goal of the season. Martial's first league goal came in a 3-2 comeback against Newcastle United. Since then, Martial has started and scored in every Premier League game as of the November International Break, This spell of goal scorer puts Martial as club's leading season goals scorer so far, overtaking Pogba and Lukaku. Martial also won Manchester United's October Player of the Month award.

Will the Manchester United man mark his birthday with a goal against Arsenal?

On this day in 1908,  Sunderland Stormed Newcastle 9-1

That changed in 1908 when Sunderland visited St. James' Park. There, Sunderland captain Billy Hogg put the Black Cats up in the eighth minute, but Newcastle pulled level before the break with a penalty. The second half, though, belonged to the visitors.

Within the span of 28 minutes, Sunderland got eight goals, including a hat-trick from inside-left George Holley. Hogg matched him with two more goals of his own, with Arthur Bridgett (2) and Jackie Mordue making up the balance. According to a post-match report, "The Sunderland forwards simply lined up in procession time after time, left their opponents floundering in the roar, and bombarded and shelled the goal as easily they would light a cigarette."

On this day in 1921, Football Association issued a ban on women's football on the grounds

The Football Association issued a ban on women's football on the grounds that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."

The FA's action was a response to the growing popularity of the women's game in the early part of the 20th century--popularity which some FA members believed was beginning to threaten the success of men's football.

In 1969, driven by England's World Cup success in 1966, female footballers and their supporters formed a new Women's Football Association. The FA eventually recognized the distaff side of the sport in 1971 and, in 2008, officially apologized for the ban.