Match of the Day — Season 41

Aired 8 August 2004 • 80 min

Highlights of this afternoon's game between Premiership champions Arsenal and FA Cup winners Manchester United at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. This traditional curtain-raiser to the new season mirrors last year's encounter, when then-champions United beat the FA Cup winners on penalties.

Aired 8 August 2004 • 80 min

David Beckham and Michael Owen are among the stars reflecting on four decades of football's flagship show. Classic clips and cherished memories illustrate how the programme became a national treasure and why it's a favourite of comedians. Other contributors include Bobby Robson, George Best, Brian Clough, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Ian Wright, Delia Smith, Des Lynam and Jimmy Hill.

Aired 14 August 2004 • 80 min

Celebrating its 40th year, Match of the Day returns live to Saturday night with extended highlights and analysis of the Premiership on the opening day of the season. Featured games include Tottenham v Liverpool, Middlesbrough v Newcastle and Norwich v Crystal Palace.

Aired 18 August 2004 • 80 min

Coverage from St James' Park as England warm-up for their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with a friendly against Ukraine.

Aired 21 August 2004 • 80 min

An emotional day loomed as Kevin Keegan returned to the ground where he was idolised as a player. Will Man City's manager see his team triumph at Liverpool? Gary Lineker has highlights of this and the day's six other Premiership games.

Aired 25 August 2004 • 80 min

Highlights of this evening's Premiership matches, including Blackburn's trip to Arsenal, new boys Norwich at Newcastle, and Aston Villa's clash with Charlton. Plus, Middlesbrough and Fulham get the chance to compare their new forward line-ups at Craven Cottage.

Aired 28 August 2004 • 80 min

Will Manchester United's lunchtime match against Blackburn have re-ignited the flame of their mid-90s Premiership rivalry? Gary Lineker has news of this, plus coverage of defending champions Arsenal's trip to Carrow Road to play newly promoted Norwich and action from Stamford Bridge where Chelsea hosted Paul Sturrock 's Southampton. There's also the result of Crystal Palace's encounter with Middlesbrough's new strike force of Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Aired 4 September 2004 • 80 min

Northern Ireland v Poland. Coverage of this Group Six World Cup qualifying match from Belfast's Windsor Park. Since Lawrie Sanchez took over as manager in January, Northern Ireland have made a marked improvement in form, remaining unbeaten over the last six games. Can they build upon last month's encouraging result against Switzerland?

Aired 11 September 2004 • 80 min

Highlights and goals from all eight Premiership matches played today, including Fulham v Arsenal.

Aired 18 September 2004 • 80 min

Highlights and goals from all six Premiership matches played today, including Arsenal v Bolton.

Aired 25 September 2004 • 80 min

Premiership highlights from today's games, including Tottenham v Manchester Utd.

Aired 2 October 2004 • 80 min

Highlights of today's six Premiership matches, including Arsenal's London derby against Charlton, Everton's clash with the Spurs side they defeated at Easter for the first time in seven years and Manchester City's visit to Southampton. Plus Norwich v Portsmouth, Blackburn v Aston Villa and West Brom v Bolton.

Aired 9 October 2004 • 80 min

Coverage from Old Trafford of the World Cup qualifier between the two home nations. A win would put England in a strong position in Group Six, but Wales can't afford another slip-up following draws with Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland. In his penultimate game in charge, can Mark Hughes lead Wales to a repeat of the victory he secured as a player when the teams last met in 1984?

Aired 9 October 2004 • 80 min

Brian Kerr's men travel to Paris for this Group Four World Cup qualifier with legitimate hopes of causing an upset against the formerly formidable French.

Aired 16 October 2004 • 80 min

Action from all eight of today's Premiership clashes, which included pace-setters Arsenal's tie against Aston Villa, plus Manchester City v Chelsea, Birmingham v Manchester United and Fulham v Liverpool.

Aired 23 October 2004 • 80 min

Gary Lineker has highlights from today's six Premiership matches where, at the top end of the table, high-flying Chelsea host Blackburn while Liverpool take on Charlton Athletic.

Aired 30 October 2004 • 80 min

Highlights from the the Premiership and action from the first round of the FA Cup.

Aired 6 November 2004 • 80 min

Highlights from the the Premiership, including Arsenal v Crystal Palace.

Aired 13 November 2004 • 80 min

Two London derbies - Tottenham v Arsenal, and Fulham v Chelsea - feature in highlights of today's Premiership programme. Plus FA Cup first-round action.

Aired 14 November 2004 • 80 min

Thurrock v Oldham Athletic. Coverage from Ship Lane of this first-round tie - a chance for non-league Thurrock to achieve "giant-killer" status as they take on League One side Oldham Athletic.

Aired 17 November 2004 • 80 min

Spain v England. After a flurry of World Cup qualification fixtures, Sven-Goran Eriksson 's men travel to Madrid for a friendly international at Real's 75,000-capacity Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Aired 20 November 2004 • 80 min

Action involving the Premiership's big three, with Man United at home to Charlton, Arsenal facing West Brom under new boss Bryan Robson, and Chelsea hosting Bolton.

Aired 27 November 2004 • 80 min

WBA boss Bryan Robson welcomes his old club Man United to the Hawthorns. Plus action from the day's other Premiership matches.

Aired 4 December 2004 • 80 min

An extended edition in which action from all eight of today's Premiership clashes - including Chelsea v Newcastle United and Arsenal v Birmingham City - is augmented by the pick of the FA Cup second round.

Aired 5 December 2004 • 80 min

Hinckley United v Brentford. Coverage of Conference North minnows Hinckley United playing a League One side in the FA Cup for a potential chance to play a big gun in the third round - the draw for which follows.

Aired 11 December 2004 • 80 min

Action from all seven of today's Premiership ties, including high-flying Merseysiders Everton's clash with local rivals Liverpool at Goodison Park and Crystal Palace v Blackburn at Selhurst Park.

Aired 18 December 2004 • 80 min

Manchester United take on Crystal Palace, while Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate, Ugo Ehiogu and George Boateng face former club Aston Villa.

Aired 26 December 2004 • 80 min

Highlights of the London derby between Arsenal and Fulham, plus Chelsea at home to Aston Villa, Manchester United v Bolton and Newcastle away to Blackburn.

Aired 28 December 2004 • 80 min

Highlights from all nine of today's Premiership matches. Southampton face a silverware-hungry Liverpool side, Portsmouth host title contenders Chelsea, Manchester United travel to play Aston Villa and Tottenham meet London rivals Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane.

Aired 1 January 2005 • 80 min

All 20 Premiership clubs were in action today. Among the potential highlights are Chelsea's trip to Liverpool, Arsenal's London derby at Charlton, and Manchester United's visit to Middlesbrough.

Aired 4 January 2005 • 80 min

Including highlights of Arsenal v Manchester City, Manchester United v Spurs and Chelsea's clash with Middlesbrough. Plus the pick of yesterday's action.

Aired 8 January 2005 • 80 min

Coverage of this intriguing FA Cup third-round tie from Bramall Lane.

Aired 8 January 2005 • 80 min

Gary Lineker introduces FA Cup third-round action from Home Park.

Aired 8 January 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of today's FA Cup third-round tussles, including Jose Mourinho 's Premiership pace-setters Chelsea v Scunthorpe United, currently at the top of League Two, and 11-times winners Manchester Utd v Exeter City from the Conference.

Aired 9 January 2005 • 80 min

From OPR's Loftus Road stadium in west London, the last of this weekend's FA Cup third-round ties. "The Ding" will need to muster a Herculean effort to pull off an upset - when the draw was made last December, 125 league places separated the non-league side from the Premiership giants. Johnson Hippolyte's third-round debutants will take heart, however, from the Magpies' travails in 1998, when Conference outfit Stevenage took Shearer and co to a fourth-round replay.

Aired 15 January 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of today's Premiership games, including Liverpool's bid to avenge September's defeat at Old Trafford, and Chelsea's attempt to continue their 15-year unbeaten run against Tottenham.

Aired 19 January 2005 • 80 min

Coverage of one of tonight's replays to decide who makes it through to the fourth round - even if it means the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Aired 22 January 2005 • 80 min

Premiership highlights, including Manchester United v Aston Villa - in which David O'Leary 's men look for their first win at Old Trafford since 1983 - plus Chelsea v Portsmouth and Harry Redknapp 's struggling Southampton v Liverpool.

Aired 29 January 2005 • 80 min

A clash from St Mary's in which new Saints manager Harry Redknapp prepares for some stick as he faces his old club Pompey in the FA Cup fourth round.

Aired 29 January 2005 • 80 min

After seeing off Exeter City at the second attempt, Alex Ferguson 's men continue their defence of the FA Cup with an all-Premiership fourth-round tie at Old Trafford against Middlesbrough.

Aired 29 January 2005 • 80 min

Action from, and reaction to, today's fourth-round FA Cup ties, which included West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham, Arsenal v Wolves, Southampton's south coast derby with Portsmouth and holders Manchester United v Middlesbrough.

Aired 30 January 2005 • 80 min

A tasty fourth-round tie in which the League One outfit set out to claim their second Premiership scalp in this season's FA Cup at Boundary Park.

Aired 2 February 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of all ten of this week's Premiership games, including the eagerly anticipated and potentially explosive clash between Arsenal and Manchester United at Highbury.

Aired 5 February 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of today's Premiership action, including Liverpool v Fulham and Arsenal's trip to Aston Villa. Plus Birmingham head up the M6 to face Manchester United at Old Trafford, while struggling Norwich host West Brom at Carrow Road.

Aired 9 February 2005 • 80 min

England v Netherlands from Villa Park. A friendly international that may provide England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson with some vital pointers in advance of March's resumption of the World Cup qualifiers.

Aired 12 February 2005 • 80 min

Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion. Coverage from White Hart Lane of the all-Premiership FA Cup fourth-round replay. With a home tie against Championship side Nottingham Forest the prize, both teams will be desperate for victory.

Aired 12 February 2005 • 80 min

Did Everton improve their chances of a Champions League place when they welcomed Premiership leaders Chelsea to Goodison Park? And were there changes at the bottom of the table after relegation-threatened sides Blackburn and Norwich clashed at Ewood Park?

Aired 19 February 2005 • 80 min

After suffering a bitter Premiership defeat against Manchester Utd, which effectively ended the Gunners' title hopes, Arsene Wenger's men will at least be confident of booking themselves a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals as they face the third game in a row against Championship opposition.

Aired 19 February 2005 • 80 min

Two North West rivals with a renowned FA Cup pedigree vie for supremacy in this eagerly awaited all-Premiership fifth-round tie. The last two FA Cup meetings between these two sides have been finals, with Manchester Utd winning in 1985 and Everton lifting the trophy a decade on. Fans' emotions will be running particularly high tonight - former Toffees wunderkind Wayne Rooney is set to return to Goodison Park for the first time since joining Alex Ferguson 's side last summer. Who will make it through to Monday's quarter-final draw?

Aired 19 February 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of today's six FA Cup fifth-round ties, including Everton v Manchester United and Arsenal's third successive clash with a Championship side.

Aired 20 February 2005 • 80 min

Coverage from Turf Moor of this FA Cup fifth-round tie - a Lancashire derby that sees Championship outfit Burnley take on Premiership side Blackburn. It's 45 years since the local rivals met in the FA Cup. A replay victory for Blackburn en route to their most recent final appearance. But it's current form that counts, and Mark Hughes' Blackburn won't relish a trip to the side that knocked out Liverpool in the third round.

Aired 26 February 2005 • 80 min

Premiership highlights include Southampton v Arsenal, Manchester United v Portsmouth and Aston Villa v Everton.

Aired 5 March 2005 • 80 min

Premiership highlights include Arsenal v Portsmouth and Chelsea v Norwich.

Aired 12 March 2005 • 80 min

The first of three all-Premiership FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend is a potential thriller which pits Sam Allardyce's high-flying Trotters against the Premiership champions. Can the mercurial Londoners reach their fifth consecutive semi-final?

Aired 12 March 2005 • 80 min

Two sides who are installed at opposite ends of the Premiership and are desperately seeking silverware, clash at St Mary's for a coveted place in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Aired 13 March 2005 • 80 min

The last non-Premiership team remaining in the FA Cup travel to Ewood Park for this quarter-final match. The difference in their league status notwithstanding, Mark Hughes' side would do well to remember the Foxes claimed the estimable scalp of Charlton Athletic in the fifth round.

Aired 19 March 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of today's Premiership matches, including Chelsea v Crystal Palace and Portsmouth's encounter with Newcastle.

Aired 26 March 2005 • 80 min

England v Northern Ireland. Sven-Goran Eriksson's men launch into a home double header of World Cup qualifiers which could help propel them towards Germany in 2006. Their first opponents in today's Group Six tie at Old Trafford are a resurgent Northern Ireland side unbeaten in six games.

Aired 30 March 2005 • 80 min

England v Azerbaijan. At Newcastle United's home of St James' Park, England play their second home World Cup qualifier of the week as they take on this largely unknown Group Six quantity from the southern Caucasus.

Aired 2 April 2005 • 80 min

Champions-elect Chelsea travel to lowly Southampton, Bolton Wanderers look to complete the double against Liverpool at Anfield, and Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes faces his old club Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Aired 9 April 2005 • 80 min

It's a battle of the blues as Chelsea host Birmingham, Arsenal travel to Middlesbrough, and Manchester United visit a Norwich team desperate for points. Ray Stubbs presents highlights, plus all the goals from the rest of today's Premiership programme.

Aired 16 April 2005 • 80 min

Highlights from Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers, the first of this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals. Plus a Premiership round-up.

Aired 17 April 2005 • 80 min

An all-Premiership FA Cup semi-final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium that sees the Magpies, who haven't lifted the trophy for 50 years, out to end three previous defeats in the competition by the Red Devils, winners on a record 11 occasions.

Aired 20 April 2005 • 80 min

All the goals and key moments from tonight's eight Premiership matches, including Chelsea v Arsenal and Everton v Manchester United.

Aired 23 April 2005 • 80 min

Premiership highlights as Chelsea take on south-west London rivals Fulham, Crystal Palace host Liverpool and Everton clash with Birmingham.

Aired 30 April 2005 • 80 min

Premiership action from seven encounters includes Bolton v Chelsea, Liverpool v Middlesbrough and Southampton v Norwich.

Aired 2 May 2005 • 80 min

Will it be a case of "third time lucky" for the Addicks, runners-up for the past two seasons? They're in with a good chance - Everton last lifted the trophy in 1989.

Aired 7 May 2005 • 80 min

It's the penultimate weekend of the Premiership season, but there could still be a lot to play for. Among the relegation-threatened sides in action today were Bryan Robson 's West Brom - who aimed for a major upset at his old club Manchester Utd - Norwich, who faced Birmingham, and Crystal Palace and Southampton, who played a potential "six-pointer".

Aired 15 May 2005 • 80 min

On the final day of the Premiership season, Gary Lineker presents highlights of all today's matches. There are big games at the top end of the table as new champions Chelsea visit Newcastle seeking revenge for their FA Cup defeat, while Everton look to finish with a flourish and an away win at Bolton. Manchester United travel south to take on lowly Southampton, fellow strugglers Norwich go to Fulham, West Brom face Portsmouth and Crystal Palace play Charlton.

Aired 21 May 2005 • 80 min

Cardiff's Millennium Stadium bids farewell to English football's showpiece occasion as holders Manchester United clash with Arsenal in the 124th FA Cup final. The last time the teams met in the final was back in 1979, when Alan Sunderland 's last-minute winner ensured the Gunners won 3-2 at Wembley.

Aired 28 May 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of the friendly between the USA and England from Chicago's Soldier Field Stadium. The States have twice upset the odds against England, winning 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup and 2-0 against a poor side in a 1993 friendly.

Aired 31 May 2005 • 80 min

Colombia v England. The Giants Stadium in New Jersey is the venue as England play the second and final friendly of their American tour. Sven-Goran Eriksson 's men have never lost against Colombia and were 2-0 winners when they last met at the 1998 World Cup. But the South American team's attacking flair has upset the world's best teams in recent years, and England can expect a big test ahead of next year's World Cup finals in Germany, with a squad that's missing several first-choice players.

Aired 5 June 2005 • 80 min

Coverage from the City of Manchester Stadium, where the host nation are favourites to win their first Group A match. Including highlights of the curtain-raiser between the 2001 runners-up Sweden and Denmark.

Aired 6 June 2005 • 80 min

Highlights of the two opening Group B matches. Defending champions Germany, who won all eight qualifying ties, could face a test against Norway, the only country to win European, world and Olympic titles. And how will France fare against Italy, who've shown steady improvement since losing to England 4-1 in February?

Aired 8 June 2005 • 80 min

Coverage from Ewood Park, home of Blackburn Rovers, as the host nation take on tough opposition in their second Group A match of the women's European championship.

Aired 9 June 2005 • 80 min

Action from the European championship's fifth day. In Group B, reigning champions Germany faced Italy in Preston, while France clashed with Norway in Warrington.

Aired 11 June 2005 • 80 min

Coverage from Ewood Park, Blackburn, where the host nation play their final Group A game in the qualifying stages. Finland's clash against Denmark kicks off at the same time at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool.

Aired 13 June 2005 • 80 min

Highlights from Group B as defending champs Germany meet the French, while former winners Norway face Italy.

Aired 15 June 2005 • 80 min

Germany v Finland at Deepdale, Preston.

Aired 16 June 2005 • 80 min

Sweden v Norway at Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Aired 19 June 2005 • 80 min

The two teams that have battled through the group stages and semi-final showdowns meet at Ewood Park.