Xabi Alonso singled out Mike Penders after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Manchester United, stressing the value of a second clean sheet in three league games.
Twelve shots faced, nothing conceded. Mike Penders was the story of Chelsea's 2-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and Xabi Alonso made sure nobody missed it.
Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scored in the second half, and Chelsea moved up to fourth. Lisandro Martínez was sent off for United after two yellow cards, according to OneFootball. In the first half, Penders, who is deputising for the injured Emiliano Martínez, stopped Amad Diallo and a stream of other chances. Late on, he tipped a Bryan Mbeumo drive onto the crossbar, the save Chelsea's website says carried a "small but decisive" touch.
Alonso, quoted by chelseafc.com, called the clean sheet "very important" and the second in three league games. "We need many more and we don’t take them for granted," he said.
The context explains the emphasis. Chelsea had conceded 15 goals in their first eight league games and held a goal difference of just +2 before Saturday, Chelsea FC Online reports. A week earlier, Penders punched a corner into his own net in the home defeat to Tottenham.
My take: fifteen conceded in eight games is a balance-sheet problem, and two clean sheets in three is a decent quarter, not an audited year. Alonso knows it, which is why the praise came with a target attached.
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Meanwhile at the desk
One Saturday a keeper punches a corner into his own net, the next his manager is praising his stability. That is the fastest turnaround on the scorecard this month, and the Mbeumo save did the lobbying.
Twelve shots faced, none conceded. Alonso said at half-time they would win it with the ball, and Penders made sure there was still a game to win.
