HOW appropriate. FOSTER’S saves win the CARLING Cup.
But while it was cheers to United and drinks all round thanks to keeper Ben Foster, it was tears for Tottenham’s Jamie O’Hara as he suffered final heartbreak for the second year running.
Foster’s dive to his left to keep out O’Hara’s spot-kick set up United for victory in the penalty shootout.
And it helped Alex Ferguson’s men stay on course for a clean sweep of silverware.
But for O’Hara it was more despair. Last year he was in bits on the touchline after being left out of the Spurs squad which triumphed over Chelsea at Wembley.
Here he was inconsolable again once substitute David Bentley’s miss later in the shootout, which was horribly wide of Foster’s right post, left Anderson to despatch the clinching kick.
It has taken Foster three-and-a-half years to become an overnight success at Old Trafford.
While the 25-year-old has played for England, his appearances in a United shirt have yet to reach double figures.
Manager Ferguson has always known he has the talent, though. It is just a case of when, rather than if, he finally takes over from Edwin van der Sar.
As well as the penalty, Foster made a blinding stop from a fierce drive by Aaron Lennon and denied Darren Bent with his feet late in extra-time.
Foster admitted in the build-up he feared people had forgotten him.
They won’t now. And whatever happens in the future, he has a place in United’s rich history.
This was the game Foster had been waiting for to show what he is all about — and England boss Fabio Capello was there to see it.
Fergie had gambled by playing the likes of Foster, Danny Welbeck and Darron Gibson while leaving Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic on the bench and omitting Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney from the squad altogether.
Rooney apparently had a virus but he looked pretty chirpy standing by the United bench for a bloke who was so ill. Spurs were not helped by the fact they lost inspirational central defender Jonathan Woodgate to an Achilles injury after a pre-match fitness test, but Michael Dawson and Ledley King were excellent at the back.
And, in Luka Modric, they had a player prepared to take the game to United.
He was ably assisted by Lennon who, if he could have crossed better, might have engineered victory for Harry Redknapp.
Time and again Lennon skinned Patrice Evra down the right flank but could not find the ball into the box which would have done the real damage.
He was unlucky in the first half, however, when he beat Evra and clipped the ball past the diving Foster, only for Rio Ferdinand to make a brilliant challenge which foiled Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Ferdinand then almost scored himself, teeing up a 30-yard volley which just dipped over the bar.
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It was fairly even but referee Chris Foy bottled a decision over John O’Shea which could have changed the course of the game.
Defender O’Shea had already been booked for a 57th-minute foul on Modric when he was late on the Croatian again a few minutes later.
Somehow he survived — much to the frustration of Pavlyuchenko who felt he should have been dismissed.
Instead it was Pavlyuchenko who went off — subbed to make way for O’Hara — the Russian having had a poor day, the low point of which was a shocking free-kick which finished high in the stands.
Not for the first time in his United career, Cristiano Ronaldo was booked for diving as he went down in the box when King challenged on 67 minutes.
But, in truth, it was neither a penalty nor a dive as Ronaldo lost his footing just as King cleared.
At the end of normal time, Ronaldo cut inside and fired a shot which beat Heurelho Gomes but smacked off the inside of the post and Nani made a hash of the rebound.
Extra-time produced one clear opportunity apiece, with Foster blocking Bent’s near-post effort and Evra sliding a fierce shot inches over the bar with a minute left.
So to penalties. Spurs needed big men to step forward and take responsibility and in fairness O’Hara was prepared to do it.
But, after Giggs put United ahead, O’Hara struck the ball too close to Foster’s dive and the die was cast.
Carlos Tevez made it 2-0 before Vedran Corluka got Spurs on the score-sheet.
Ronaldo tucked his kick away then Bentley made a mess of his effort.
The noisy Spurs supporters knew the game was up.
Anderson confidently fired his penalty into the corner and United were celebrating another shiny pot for their packed trophy cabinet.
