King's team pulled out all the stops to retain their title

Leading by a point after the delayed fourballs and then by two when Scot Catriona Matthew beat Laura Diaz in the top game, Europe were then swept aside.

Juli Inkster, Pat Hurst, Angela Stanford and Stacy Prammanasudh all won their games to put the USA in charge.

And it was left to Nicole Castrale and Paula Creamer to take the jubilant Americans over the winning line.

Creamer's tap-in on the 15th hole sealed a 2&1 win over Maria Hjorth to ensure her team claimed the 14 points they needed to retain the cup.

And Castrale's eight-footer, moments later, wrapped up their second successive win as she beat Bettina Hauert 3&2.

It is the only the second time that an away team has come out on top - the first was when the United States won at St Pierre in Wales in 1996.

The Europeans went into the final round with an 8�-7� lead, with the Americans looking too inexpereinced to win the event in Europe for the first time since 1996.

But as the day progressed and the American red scores started to rack up on the scoreboard and it was the hosts who looked the more vulnerable.

America's Paula Creamer celebrates her side's Solheim Cup victory

Suzann Pettersen, whose superb approach shot on the 18th helped Europe to one of their halved matches on Saturday, missed crucial short putts on 16 and 17.

Then, with a chance to square up on 18, she pulled her approach left of the green and ended up losing to Prammanasudh.

Sweden's Sorenstam also struggled, missing a four-footer on the 15th and then misreading her putt on No. 16 in a 2&1 loss to Pressel, who clamed her first win of the weekend.

Maybe the most symbolic moment for Europe came when rookie Becky Brewerton failed to take relief when in trouble on the 18th.

She could have moved the ball to play it right-handed but didn't do so and saw her lose out to Sherri Steinhauer.

Afterwards, victorious US captain Betsy King criticised former team-mate Dottie Pepper for calling two of the American team "choking, freaking dogs".

We played our hearts out - I thought we had a lot of talent US captain Betsy King

Pepper now works as a television commentator but thought her microphone was off when she criticised Diaz and Steinhauer over the way they finished one of Saturday's foursomes matches.

King said: "My opinion is that it's about the team and not Dottie. I don't think her comments had anything to do with how this team played - let's change the subject."

However, King could not resist having a swipe at Pepper.

"Usually you retire when you can't play any more," she said. "That's why you are commentating, because you are past your prime.

"It's that old thing - the older you get the better you used to be. But we played our hearts out. I thought we had a lot of talent but thought it would be tough over here.

"I wanted to play the underdogs. But we had good pressure players - and they proved that."

Her opposite number Helen Alfredsson said: "I felt everybody was playing well, but the Americans played better and made more putts.

"I don't know if I could have done things that much different. It comes down to the golf - and you have to give the Americans credit. They did what they had to do.