Alonso Says Clean Sheet Against Man Utd ‘very Important’, Praises Penders’ Performance

Alonso says clean sheet against Man Utd ‘very important’, praises Penders’ performance (Alonso says clean sheet against Man Utd ‘very important’, praises Penders’ performance (Credit: Chelsea FC))

Man Utd:  Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has described his team’s clean sheet in their 2-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United as ‘very important’ and praised goalkeeper Mike Penders for his stable performance at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea registered their second clean sheet in three Premier League matches as they returned to winning ways after suffering two consecutive defeats in the league and the cup.

Penders played an important role in securing the shutout, particularly during a challenging first half when Manchester United created several scoring opportunities. The Belgian goalkeeper produced crucial saves to deny Amad Diallo and kept Chelsea in the contest.

His most significant contribution came towards the closing stages when he made a full-length dive to get a decisive touch on Bryan Mbeumo’s powerful 20-yard effort, which subsequently struck the crossbar before being cleared.

“The clean sheet is very important, and it’s the second one in three Premier League games. 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,” Alonso said in an official statement.

The Chelsea manager also praised Penders for his contribution, highlighting the goalkeeper’s consistency and improvement after a difficult moment in the team’s previous match.

“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 has shown a good level against Man United, and we kept another clean sheet, the second one in three games. Now we need to keep going,” he said.

Alonso further acknowledged that Penders had responded well to the difficult experience from last Saturday, describing such moments as an important part of a player’s development.

“Mike has overcome the difficult moment that we had last Saturday, and this is part of the development of any goalkeeper or any player,” he added.

Chelsea secured all three points through two second-half goals after an entertaining opening period in which both teams created opportunities.

Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock with an impressive individual effort, collecting the ball in midfield before beating Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez and chipping the finish over goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Cole Palmer doubled Chelsea’s advantage in the 64th minute by converting a penalty awarded following a VAR review for Martinez elbowing Wesley Fofana during a corner. The Argentine defender was also shown his second yellow card and sent off.

Manchester United had threatened in the first half, with Penders making important saves, while Matheus Cunha and Chelsea’s Estevão Willian both had goals ruled out for offside.

Cole Palmer doubled Chelsea’s advantage in the 64th minute by converting a penalty awarded following a VAR review for Martinez elbowing Wesley Fofana during a corner. The Argentine defender was also shown his second yellow card and sent off.

Article Source: IANS