Super Bowl XLVIII in pictures

MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

Built at a cost of $1.6bn (nearly £1bn) the 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium, just outside New York, plays host to its first Super Bowl

Thunder the horse, mascot of the Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos, about to make their seventh Super Bowl appearance, are welcomed onto the field in a cacophony of noise by their appropriately named mascot, Thunder the horse

Denver and Seattle fans

At 7C (44F) it was nowhere near as cold as had been feared for the first Super Bowl to be staged outdoors in a cold-weather state. Not that these fans would have cared...

Opera singer Renee Fleming sings the national anthem before the Seattle Seahawks take on the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium

Opera singer Renee Fleming sings a rousing rendition of the American national anthem

On the very first play from scrimmage, the ball is somehow snapped back over the head of non-plussed Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. The Broncos recover the ball, but in their own endzone at the cost of the two points awarded for a safety

On the very first play from scrimmage, the ball is somehow snapped back over the head of nonplussed Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. The Broncos recover the ball, but only in their own endzone at the cost of the two points awarded for a safety

Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch bulldozes his way into the Denver endzone for Super Bowl XLVIII's first touchdown

Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, known as "Beast Mode", bulldozes his way into Denver's endzone for Super Bowl XLVIII's first touchdown

Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith (right) returns Denver quarterback Peyton Manning's second interception of the night for a touchdown

Seattle linebacker Malcolm Smith (right) returns Denver quarterback Peyton Manning's second interception of the night 69 yards for a touchdown, extending their half-time lead to 22-0

Bruno Mars (far right) kicks off the Super Bowl half-time show

Grammy Award-winner Bruno Mars (far right) kicks off the Super Bowl half-time show and, rather aptly given a one-sided first half, goes on to perform Runaway Baby

The Red Hot Chili Peppers perform in Super Bowl XLVIII's half-time show

Continuing the theme, the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform Give It Away

Seattle's Percy Harvin (right) returns the second-half kick-off 87 yards for a touchdown against Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII

The game resumes just as dramatically, with Seattle's Percy Harvin returning the second-half kick-off 87 yards for a touchdown

Seattle's Doug Baldwin completes the scoring in Super Bowl XLVIII

Seattle's Doug Baldwin breaks two tackles to score a touchdown against Denver and complete the scoring in Super Bowl XLVIII

Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, is soaked in soft drink as part of the traditional Super Bowl celebrations

Watch out Pete Carroll! It's customary for the winning team to dunk their head coach in gallons of soft drink, and here Seattle's boss gets it

Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos

It's a thoroughly miserable night for Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, who goes on to congratulate his opposite number Russell Wilson

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after their 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII

It's all over! Russell Wilson, at 25 the third-youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, celebrates with the Vince Lombari Trophy