Xabi Alonso praises Penders after Chelsea beat Man United

Xabi Alonso has praised Mike Penders' performance in goal and stressed the importance of Chelsea's second clean sheet in three Premier League matches, following the win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

The shutout was hard-earned. The visitors created several chances, particularly in the first half, and Penders was tested repeatedly. He made good saves to deny Amad Diallo, but the most important stop came late in the game.

With Chelsea leading by two goals through Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer, Bryan Mbeumo struck a 20-yard drive toward goal. Penders produced a full-length dive as the ball hit the crossbar and was cleared. Only the slow-motion replay showed that the Belgian goalkeeper had got a small but decisive touch to divert it onto the woodwork.

Alonso said the result should not be taken lightly. "[The clean sheet] is very important, and it's the second one in three Premier League games," the manager said after the match. "We need many more and we don't take them for granted. Three points and a clean sheet is good and we need to keep on repeating this scoreline."

On Penders, Alonso said: "Not just today, I think at Liverpool he was really solid. Mike had a very good performance today and was very stable for a goalkeeper." He added that Penders had overcome a difficult moment the previous Saturday, which he described as part of the development of any goalkeeper.

Chelsea, fourth in the table after nine league games, return home after the international break to face Leeds United.