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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Kieran King

Premier League at 30: Greatest moments from Leicester title win to Sergio Aguero drama

On 15 August 1992, the first ball was kicked in the Premier League as English football embarked on a new era.

The new division was backed up by a £305million deal from Sky Sports, with the company showing several live matches every weekend. There were 22 teams in the league, with the likes of Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town, Wimbledon and Sheffield Wednesday all competing the inaugural Premier League season.

Fast forward to the present day and the division has become the most powerful league in the world. It is the most-viewed in the sport and notably attracts the best players, especially within the so-called 'Big Six', although Barcelona and Real Madrid are doing their best to bring the focus back to La Liga.

There has been no shortage of memorable moments during the 30 years of the Premier League. So, with that mind, here is a look at 10 that are particularly iconic.

Blackburn do the unthinkable

They might have been away from the big time for a while, but Blackburn actually won the Premier League three years into its existence. Alan Shearer, the division's all-time leading scorer, struck 34 times in 1994/95.

The title chase went down to the last game of the season, but despite Rovers losing to Liverpool, they edged out rivals Manchester United to win what manager Kenny Dalglish called a "Cinderella Story".

Alan Shearer celebrates after Blackburn lifted the Premier League title at Anfield (Getty Images)

Beckham halfway line

A dead-ball specialist, David Beckham scored an audacious 60-yard lob from the halfway line against Wimbledon in August 1996. The ball hung in the air before floating over the head of goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, who was some way off his line, and into the net.

It capped a fine opening-day win for the Red Devils, who ran out 3-0 victors thanks to earlier goals from Eric Cantona and Dennis Irwin, and Beckham's goal would be remembered for years to come as one of the Premier League's finest.

Newcastle 5-0 Man Utd

A contender for match of the century, Newcastle demolished reigning champions Manchester United at St James' Park in 1996. Their performance is regarded as one of the best team displays witnessed in the Premier League era.

Goals from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and sublime chip from defender Phillipe Albert earned the Magpies a famous win.

Darren Peacock and Les Ferdinand celebrate during Newcastle's 5-0 demolition of Manchester United (Getty Images)

Arsenal invincibles

Arsene Wenger's 2003/04 Arsenal side were unbeatable, literally. Preston North End had adopted the nickname up until the Gunners went the entirety of the season without losing a game.

They won 26 of their 38 matches and stormed to the title, collecting 90 points. It was a star-studded side filled with the likes of Robert Pires, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp - all of whom played a huge role in their success.

Pizza-gate

A truly bizarre moment. Some farcical scenes unfolded in the Old Trafford tunnel after Manchester United's chaotic 2-0 victory over Arsenal on 24 October 2004, a result that ended the Gunners' 49-match unbeaten run.

As players and officials from both sides clashed in the tunnel, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was struck by a slice of pizza thrown by an Arsenal player. In his autobiography, then-Arsenal defender Ashley Cole wrote: "All eyes turned and all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off that famous face and roll down his nice black suit."

Wayne Rooney and Patrick Viera battling in a fiery affair between Manchester United and Arsenal (Getty Images)

Which is your favourite Premier League moment? Let us know in the comments below!

Thriller at Fratton Park

Portsmouth and Reading played out one of the most remarkable matches in Premier League history in September 2007 as the two teams competed in an 11-goal thriller, with Pompey coming out on top in a 7-4 victory.

This is still the highest-scoring game in the competition's history and it was a contest that had everything. Benjani was named man of the match after scoring a hat-trick as Harry Redknapp's side went on to win the FA Cup later that season.

Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal

The joint-second highest scoring game, Manchester United romped to a thumping win over Arsenal on 28 August 2011. It was the Gunners' heaviest defeat since 1927, with Wayne Rooney scoring a hat-trick and Ashley Young striking a brace.

The rivalry between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger made it even more special, as the duo were regularly embroiled in controversial incidents on the sidelines, and it was no different on that day.

Aguero winner

Sergio Aguero celebrates after scoring in the 94th minute to win Manchester City the Premier League title (Getty Images)

Sergio Aguero is a bona fide Premier League legend and one particular moment stands out from his time at Manchester City. That was in the final day bonanza against QPR, when City needed just a win to wrap up their first Premier League triumph.

They could not have made it harder for themselves, as Jamie Mackie and Djibril Cisse overturned Pablo Zabaleta's opener to put Rangers within touching distance of a famous upset - and leave Manchester United on the brink of winning the title. Edin Dzeko equalised to make it 2-2 in the 92nd minute, before Aguero struck moments later from Mario Balotelli's pass, sparking wild scenes at the Etihad Stadium.

Gerrard slip

Although Steven Gerrard is recognised as one of the greatest Premier League midfielders, he will also be remembered for his painful mishap against Chelsea on 27 April 2014. Liverpool were on the verge of claiming their first top-flight title in 24 years, but Gerrard's costly slip allowed Demba Ba to score and help Chelsea to a 2-0 win at Anfield.

Three vital points dropped that gave Manchester City the edge to pip them to the title that season.

A dejected Steven Gerrard after slipping against Chelsea in 2014 (Getty Images)

Leicester title win

After escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth in the previous campaign, Leicester were the favourites to go down in 2015/16 and Claudio Ranieri was tipped as the first manager to get the sack.

The outcome could not have been more different, however, as the Foxes mounted the most memorable title push in history. The 5000/1 outsiders at the start of the campaign went on to lift the league title thanks to the stunning seasons of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and many others. The Foxes lost just three matches all season, pipping Arsenal and Tottenham.

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