sport news Premier League moments immortalised in Barclays photo competitions trends now

It's the world's most watched league and each season never fails to provide us with unforgettable moments of beauty and drama.

The job of the skilled photographers sitting pitch-side at Premier League games is to capture forever these wonderful events.

So to mark 20 years of Barclays' Premier League sponsorship, a 'Shot of the Century' competition to find the best images has been held.

It attracted a mountain of entries, with each photographer able to submit up to three of their favourite shots with a first prize of £7,500 up for grabs.

Entry closed last month and then it was down to a judging panel, containing Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and former players Ian Wright and Kelly Smith, to pick the winners.

First prize went to Carl Recine for his intimate shot of Claudio Ranieri kissing the trophy following Leicester City's miraculous title win in 2016, without doubt the greatest fairytale the Premier League has seen.

Second prize, and £5,000, went to Andrew Yates for his perfectly framed picture of Wayne Rooney's unstoppable overhead kick for Manchester United against Manchester City in 2011.

Third prize, and £2,500, also went to Yates for his close-up of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson kissing the trophy in the pouring Manchester rain after the last of his team's title triumphs in 2013.

Two pictures were highly commended by the judges. One was Jon Super's frame of joyous Liverpool fans watching the title win fireworks outside Anfield during the behind-closed-doors finale to the Covid-disrupted 2019-20 season.

The other, by Michael Regan, showed two West Ham fans watching the final match played at Upton Park from the window of their flat in May 2016.

You can see all the other shortlisted pictures spanning the last two decades of the Premier League below, with more information on the Lower Block website and Shot of the Century.