SEPTEMBER 29th 1971 AND 1981

Chelsea went goal crazy on this day in 1971 when they scored 8 goals past Luxembourg's Jeunesse Hautcharage in a European Cup Winners's Cup tie, first leg. The Luxembourg team had won their Nation's Cup Final the previous season and their reward was a hammering from Chelsea. The return leg saw The Pensioners add 13 to their aggregate with no reply from the hapless Luxembourgians at Stamford Bridge, the aggregate scoreline being the largest score ever for an official UEFA match.

Few from England (if any) had ever heard of Jeunesse Hautcharage, and the history of Luxembourg clubs in Europe was not distinguished. Double figures were not an unusual sight when the country's top teams came up against the cream of Europe's crop and one of their most successful teams, Union Luxembourg, had embarrassingly lost 13-0 to Cologne in 1965. Such results would befall clubs from the Luxembourg top flight regularly, whereas Jeunesse Hautcharage were a lower-league side who had caused a major shock by winning the Luxembourg Cup. According to author and football historian Cris Freddi: ''As well as the three Welscher brothers, one of their players wore glasses, one of their substitutes was just 15, and Guy Thill was born with only one arm!''

Peter Osgood, remember him? had wanted to better the eight-goal "European" haul by AC Milan's Jose Altafini (also against Luxembourg opposition, Union, in 1962-63) and had bet goalkeeper Peter Bonetti that he would score six to add to the three from the first leg. But, while he became the fourth Chelsea player to score five goals in a match (after George Hilsdon, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Tambling) he could not muster the important sixth!

Chelsea went on to lose their second round match to another tiny team, Sweden's Atvidaberg. It was one of the biggest shocks in European football history as the Swedes held on at home for a 0-0 draw and then pinched a goal to draw 1-1 at Stamford Bridge and progress on away goals. Chelsea's standalone record of handing Jeunesse Hautcharage the largest ever aggregate defeat in UEFA competition did not last long as Feyenoord Rotterdam achieved the same aggregate score against US Rumelange: winning the first leg 9-0 and second 12-0 in the 1972-73 UEFA Cup. Eventually, the name of Jeunesse Hautcharage disappeared as the club amalgamated with Union Sportive Bascharage in 1997, to form UN Kaerjeng 97. 

• Most goals in a match: 1963–64: Sporting CP 16–1 APPOEL (European Cups' record)

On this day in 1981, the great Bill Shankly died at 68 years old in Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool. The legendary manager led his team from the Second Division also-rans to what we know now, with a few title victories in between! Shankly was a committed socialist and the Labour Party conference stood for a minute's silence to honour his death, when it was announced.