Premier League55 min ago2 minute read

Chelsea Back Mike Penders After Defeat to Tottenham

Xabi Alonso and Maxence Lacroix have supported young goalkeeper Mike Penders after his own goal contributed to a 2-0 home loss against Tottenham.

The EagleEyeOdds deskWritten from the match data, checked against our model before it goes out

Tough home defeat for Chelsea

Chelsea suffered a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. It was only the second time Chelsea have lost to Spurs at home during the Premier League era.

The game turned during the second half. Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders, a 21 year old making his first Premier League start, punched the ball into his own net from a corner in the 77th minute. Chelsea then went down to ten men when Cole Palmer received a second yellow card and was sent off. Mathys Tel added a second goal for Tottenham in the 87th minute to secure the result.

Support from manager and teammate

Despite the costly error, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso confirmed that Penders will start on Wednesday when the Blues travel to Anfield for a Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Liverpool.

Alonso backed the young goalkeeper after the match. He explained that dealing with mistakes is part of the business and insisted the team maintains full confidence in Penders. Alonso noted that they win and lose together, and emphasized that everyone must handle mistakes. He added that the squad supports Penders as well as Geo Quenda, who also made his first Premier League start.

Defender Maxence Lacroix echoed those feelings. Lacroix described Penders as a young keeper with plenty of talent who will learn from this moment. He stated that everyone makes mistakes and promised the squad will stand behind him this season.

Moving forward to Liverpool

Lacroix highlighted the importance of the upcoming cup clash at Liverpool. He stated that Chelsea want to go far in the Carabao Cup and called it a good game to have right now. He added that the team needs to work on details to become stronger in specific moments and show the reaction of a competitor.

What it means for the next game

Liverpool vs Chelsea (Carabao Cup, Wed, 28 Oct): Liverpool win 40%, draw 25%, Chelsea win 36%; expected goals 1.62 to 1.53. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.

Chelsea vs Manchester United (Premier League, Sat, 31 Oct): Chelsea win 47%, draw 25%, Manchester United win 28%; expected goals 1.72 to 1.29. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.