Xabi Alonso has sent a message of support to goalkeeper Mike Penders after he scored an own goal on his full Premier League debut.
The young Belgian got the nod for Chelsea as they were beaten by Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night, starting in place of the injured Emi Martinez.
Penders, 21, was far from convincing in the early stages of the derby as he struggled to command his penalty area, and conceded an unfortunate own goal to put Spurs in front as he inadvertently punched the ball into his own net.
The player is extremely highly rated, both at Chelsea and back home in Belgium, where he has been widely compared to Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Alonso echoed those comparisons at his pre-match press conference.
But speaking post-match, he refused to point the finger at Penders, saying he and the squad would put their collective arm around the youngster.
“We win, we lose together and it is part of the job to deal with and to overcome from mistakes, myself as well and everyone,” he told reporters at Stamford Bridge.
“So we support Mike, and we support the rest of the team. He will learn from that, and he will want to prove that he can do better. We have to show that we can do better.”
His was far from the only error on the night, with Cole Palmer booked twice for needless fouls to be handed his marching orders.
Penders will have the opportunity to redeem himself on Wednesday night as Chelsea visit Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. With Martinez sidelined for several weeks, he will be the Blues’ go-to shot-stopper for the foreseeable future.