Mike Penders had a particularly complicated afternoon against Spurs. Established in goal for Chelsea due to the long absence of Emiliano Martínez due to a broken jaw, the young Belgian goalkeeper experienced a difficult first start in the Premier League. At only 21 years old, the man who had been noticed when he came on against Everton the previous weekend was this time overtaken by the pressure. On a returning corner from Mateus Fernandes, the Blues goalkeeper missed his intervention and sent the ball into his own net, thus giving Tottenham a goal in a meeting which turned into a nightmare for the Blues.
This error is all the more frustrating since Penders had until then displayed promising qualities. With his height of six feet and his impressive wingspan, the Belgian has an interesting profile to establish himself in English football. But against Spurs, his missed intervention was a reminder of the demands of the position at the highest level. On the conceded corner, the ex-Strasbourg goalkeeper touched the ball, but his fist clearance took the wrong direction, leaving his teammates helpless.
Mike Penders will have to provide in the absence of Emiliano Martínez
The end of the match did not allow the young goalkeeper to raise his head. The former Strasbourg goalkeeper was also beaten by a strike from Mathys Tel, which worsened the score for Tottenham (2-0). The English media have not been kind to the Belgian goalkeeper. There BBC gave him a score of 4, pointing out his error on a corner as well as the goal conceded at the near post. THE Daily Mail was even more severe, giving him a 3 and believing that his first match as a starter in the Premier League had taken a particularly unfortunate turn.
And Xabi Alonso also returned to this error: “everything came down to the first goal, which was in their favor. At 10 against 11, it was difficult, but we can do better. What mattered above all were the opportunities: they had few, and so did we.he blurted out, he who does not overwhelm his player: “we stand in solidarity with everyone, it’s a team affair, a collective effort. We must move forward”. His reaction during his next outings will now be particularly scrutinized, he who will have to keep the Blues cages in the absence of Emiliano Martinez.
