The Charity Shield fixture evolved from the Sheriff of London Shield and between 1908 and 1928 it featured the League Champions and the Southern League Champions, or a select team of amateurs against a select team of professionals.

The highest-scoring Shield match took place in 1911 when Manchester United beat Swindon Town 8-4. In the following year part of the proceeds were donated to the Lord Mayor of London's Titanic disaster fund.

Neither team involved in the Shield match in 1950 was a club side. A World Cup Team comprising players from the England squad for the World Cup in Brazil beat a Canadian Touring Team comprising players from an (English) F.A. squad which had toured Canada in the same year.

In 1967 Tottenham goalkeeper Pat Jennings scored a goal from his own area against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Alex Stepney was the embarrassed keeper at the other end and the match finished 3-3.

The Shield match was taken to Wembley in 1974 and 67,000 saw Liverpool beat Leeds 6-5 on penalty-kicks after a 1-1 draw. On an afternoon when tempers were frayed, Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner were sent off for fighting.

In the 1980s and early 90s the Shield was shared by the competing clubs for six months each when the match was drawn after 90 minutes. The penalty shoot-out was re-introduced in 1993.

Leeds United and Liverpool played in a seven-goal thriller in 1992. A rampant Eric Cantona scored a hat-trick for Leeds but he was destined to become a Manchester United player during the season.

Manchester United appeared in no fewer than seven Shield matches in the 1990s - winning four, drawing one and losing one. This run continues into the new decade - their 2001 appearance was their 6th in a row and 8th in 9 years.

Between, 1984 and 1987, Everton appeared in a record four consecutive Shields, winning all four of them.