On This Day60 years on: When 'Match of the Day' began in 'Beatleville'

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By Steve Hunter

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Roger Hunt claimed a piece of cultural history 60 years ago today, with the Liverpool striker scoring the first goal ever to be shown on a football programme that was about to become a national institution.

On August 22, 1964, legendary commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme was at Anfield to introduce the first episode of a new weekly television show.

Little did he, or anyone else, suspect Match of the Day was destined to develop into a cornerstone of Saturday nights for generations of football fans.

Wolstenholme's first words to his new audience were: "Welcome to Match of the Day... as you can hear, we are in Beatleville for this Liverpool vs Arsenal match."

In a thrilling encounter in front of the Kop, Bill Shankly's Reds - the reigning First Division champions - beat Arsenal 3-2.

Hunt opened the scoring with a spectacular effort to kick off the new programme, meeting Ian Callaghan's cross into the area with a brilliant volley that looped into the top left corner.

There was drama right until the end, too, with Gordon Wallace providing an 87th-minute winner for Liverpool after the visitors had fought back from 2-0 down.

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This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.