Super Bowl XLII

By Mark Barden

Eli Manning joins brother and fellow QB Peyton as a Super Bowl winner

A last-minute touchdown sealed a 17-14 win for the New York Giants over New England in Super Bowl XLII in Arizona.

Their victory in an enthralling contest ended the Patriots' unbeaten run and stopped them from becoming the first NFL team to go 19-0 for the season.

New York quarterback Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress for the deciding score.

The tireless Giants' defence shone for much of the game, but Manning was named MVP a year after brother Peyton scooped the honour with the Indianapolis Colts.

It was New York's third Super Bowl success after wins in 1987 and 1991.

The Patriots were widely tipped to make it four Super Bowl wins in seven seasons, but quarterback Tom Brady was sacked five times.

The Giants began the game with a 10-minute period of offensive pressure which culminated in British-born kicker Lawrence Tynes slotting home a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

606: DEBATE Manning was named Most Valuable Player but many of the plaudits went to Giants defensive co-ordinator Steve Spagnuolo BBC Sport's Martin Gough

Patriots running back Laurence Maroney gained 43 yards on the restart, and New England gradually turned the screw as the first quarter came to an end.

They took the lead on the first play of the second, with Maroney piling over for a touchdown from a yard out, and Stephen Gostkowski kicked the extra point to make it 7-3.

But New England failed to capitalise as New York kept hold of the ball and made life tough for Brady and the Patriots when they had it.

Brady endured a particularly torrid time, sacked three times in the first 30 minutes - once by Kawicka Mitchell and twice by Justin Tuck.

The second half came to life when Patriots coach Bill Belichick spotted that the Giants had a 12th man on the field and challenged the foul.

The officials backed his call, resulting in a five-yard penalty for the Giants, but the resulting drive ended in a season-high fourth sack on Brady by Michael Strahan.

Patriots star Brady was sacked five times by the Giants defence

New York's defence remained in the driving seat, forcing Brady to pass out of his own end zone at one point, with the outstanding Wes Welker taking a crucial reception to relieve the pressure.

The Giants offence finally sparked at the start of the final quarter as Manning found tight end Kevin Boss who carried for 45 yards.

They maintained their momentum and finally got the touchdown they deserved, with Manning hitting wide receiver David Tyree in the Patriots end zone. Tynes made it 10-7.

That setback seemed to breathe new life into the Patriots, and Brady patiently masterminded a march down the field which ended with the previously quiet Randy Moss taking the touchdown pass.

Gostkowski's kick made it 14-10 with less than three minutes left, and suddenly the Giants were the team on the back foot.

But Manning, the younger brother of Colts QB Peyton, finally stepped out of his elder sibling's shadow to guide his team to victory.

These guys play with great heart; we had to battle hard to get this thing Giants coach Tom Coughlin

He somehow evaded three Patriots tacklers to fire a sublime 32-yard pass to Tyree, who held one of the finest catches in Super Bowl history above his head.

Manning's last-gasp 12-play, 83-yard drive climaxed with him finding Burress in acres of space in the end zone.

Tynes did the honours to make it 17-14, and the Giants survived the last few seconds of the game to celebrate a memorable victory and deny the Patriots their place in NFL history.

Manning claimed he never had any doubt the Giants would score on their final drive.

"We've believed in ourselves all year and that's the position you want to be in, with a chance to win the game," he said.

"There were so many big plays on that drive. David Tyree made a huge catch, then Plaxico with the touchdown. Everybody stepped up. What a great win."

Burress added: "For us to come here and win a Super Bowl when nobody gave us a shot - it's the greatest feeling."