Penders bounces back as Chelsea beat Man United 2-0

Mike Penders says learning from mistakes is central to his development after helping Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 on Saturday, a result that followed a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 21-year-old Belgian goalkeeper had endured disappointment in that loss, when an unfortunate own-goal from a corner gave the visitors all three points at Stamford Bridge. He responded with a string of fine saves against Liverpool in midweek and then kept a clean sheet against United.

“To have something like that is part of football and part of my journey,” Penders said of the Tottenham setback. “You will make mistakes, but then it’s about how you react, and I am very happy I could bring some positivity on the pitch today.”

Penders made important interventions as United threatened in a closely contested first half. He twice denied Amad Diallo, then produced his most notable save deep into stoppage time, getting his fingertips to Bryan Mbeumo’s long-range effort and diverting it onto the crossbar.

“It was a very hard shot and I didn’t see him coming,” Penders explained. “But in the end, I was able to get my fingers onto it and I was very happy [to make that save].”

The win followed consecutive defeats to Tottenham and Liverpool, the latter via a penalty shoot-out in the Carabao Cup. Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League with 16 points from nine games, while United sit 17th.

United had a first-half goal from Matheus Cunha ruled out for offside. Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock shortly after the interval with an individual effort, and Cole Palmer doubled the lead from the penalty spot.

“I think as a team as well, we have reacted very well after the last two games. I think against Liverpool we played a good game, and today we did a great job.”