Kansas Chiefs beat 49ers in Super Bowl eclipsed by Taylor Swift mania

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman scores winning touchdown with three seconds left in overtime.

The Kansas City Chiefs have defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to become back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman scored a touchdown with three seconds left in overtime to nab the title, after a 3-yard pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The victory makes the Kansas City Chiefs the first team to win the Super Bowl back-to-back in nearly two decades.

For much of the game, Kansas City looked like they would be denied glory by San Francisco, who went into half-time leading 10-3.

“With all the adversity we’ve been through this season to come through tonight. … I’m proud of the guys,” Mahomes said after the game. “This is awesome. Legendary.”

The Super Bowl, the biggest event on the United States’s sporting calendar, drew particular attention this year thanks to the attendance of global pop sensation Taylor Swift, whose relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been the focus of a media and pop culture frenzy.

The 14-time Grammy winner on Saturday wrapped up the Japan leg of her Eras Tour with a sold-out show in Tokyo to dash back to the US on a private jet so she could cheer on Kelce.

As the winning touchdown was scored, TV cameras panned to Swift to see her smothered by a mob of people at the viewing box she was sharing with Kelce’s family and her celebrity friends Blake Lively and Ice Spice.

During the post-game celebrations on the side of the field, Swift and Kelce embraced and kissed in view of the crowd and the assembled media.

Swift has attended numerous NFL games to watch Kelce play since they began dating last year, with NFL officials crediting her with driving a sudden surge in the popularity of the sport among young women.