Tottenham Hotspur were criticised for the manner of their pursuit of Juande Ramos, but the man with the Midas touch in cup competitions helped to secure their first trophy in nine years yesterday. Jonathan Woodgate ended a two-year scoring drought as Tottenham came from behind to defeat Chelsea 2-1 after extra time in the Carling Cup final at Wembley, leaving Chelsea to complain about the penalty decision that brought their equalising goal.

Within four months of arriving from Seville, where he won five trophies in two years, the Spaniard has made an immediate impact after installing a regimented diet and fitness regime, but the Tottenham head coach allowed his players to enjoy the moment last night. “Sometimes the diet allows them to eat and drink totally out of control – and, yes, that includes champagne,” Ramos said.

Dimitar Berbatov calmly converted the contentious penalty and they grabbed the winner four minutes into extra time, when Woodgate’s header struck Petr Cech’s hand and rebounded back into the goal off the Tottenham defender.

“It’s tremendously satisfying to get the trophy,” Ramos said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve achieved success like this and, for a club as big as Tottenham, such a period without a trophy seems longer. This one perhaps has a special flavour to it because it was against a team that was supposedly superior to us, Chelsea. It makes the whole thing taste better.”

Ramos will now turn his attention to the Uefa Cup quarter-final against PSV Eindhoven, having already guaranteed European football next season. “That has taken a huge pressure off us,” he said. “The team have been improving little by little. They have shown they are able to concentrate, to fight with the best, and the key was not making mistakes. They managed that. It’s been a unique experience and one I hope to repeat in the future.”

Ledley King, who had not played since the 5-1 victory against Arsenal in the semi-final second leg a month ago, said after lifting the trophy: “A lot of teams would have folded, but the spirit was fantastic to come back and win. You see what can happen when we get it right – we have to do it more often.”

Avram Grant, Ramos’s opposite number, complained bitterly about Mark Halsey’s decision to award Tottenham’s penalty when Chelsea were leading through Didier Drogba’s first-half free kick. The referee’s attention was drawn by Martin Yerby, his assistant, who saw Wayne Bridge handle as Tom Huddlestone tried to get past him. Grant was also annoyed by Halsey blowing the final whistle when Salomon Kalou was closing in on goal as his team tried for a late equaliser.

“The penalty decision gave Tottenham a way back in the game,” the Chelsea first-team coach said. “It was very disappointing. It touched the hand of Wayne Bridge, but it was a very rash decision. Every time the ball touches a player’s hand, it’s not a penalty. If it’s deliberate, yes, if not, no. But we can’t take the time back. We lost the final.”

Chelsea, who have been charged twice this season for failing to control their players, will also be waiting anxiously to see whether Halsey reports them for their protests after the referee had blown the final whistle with Kalou about to shoot, even though the effort hit a post. Henk ten Cate, the assistant first-team coach, had to pull several players away from a confrontation with the officials.