Xabi Alonso Defends Mike Penders and Says Cole Palmer Will Learn

• Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso refused to blame stand-in goalkeeper Mike Penders for the own goal that gave Tottenham the lead.
• Alonso said Cole Palmer’s red card was “probably” right and “one to learn from in the future”.
• Tottenham won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Palmer sent off in the 80th minute for two yellow cards.

Alonso Shares the Blame After Chelsea’s Defeat to Spurs

Xabi Alonso had two players to answer for after Chelsea lost 2-0 to Tottenham on Saturday, and he protected both. The Chelsea manager would not pin the defeat on goalkeeper Mike Penders, whose punch from a corner ended up in his own net, and he said Cole Palmer will learn from the red card that left Chelsea with ten men.

“We win and we lose together, it’s part of the job to deal with and overcome mistakes,” Alonso said. “I know this myself as well. We support Mike, we support the others and he will learn from that and he will want to prove he can do better and we must show we can do better.”

The Own Goal and the Red Card

Penders was deputising for the injured Robert Sánchez and made his first league start for Chelsea. His own goal gave Spurs the lead in the 77th minute. Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute, and Mathys Tel sealed the win in the 87th minute.

Palmer’s first yellow card came for a push on Fernandes, which Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi thought deserved a red card by itself. The second came for a late challenge on Conor Gallagher. Alonso had not watched either incident back when he spoke. “I haven’t seen them but I’ve told that probably it was right, it was our first red card, and we need to continue in this way to have the maturity to cope in those moments,” he said.

He pointed to the clock as the lesson. “When it was 1-0, there was still 20 minutes left to go,” Alonso said. He had yet to speak to Palmer: “I need to check the reaction to talk with Cole but it is one to learn from in the future.”

Asked whether Palmer’s lack of composure worried him, Alonso said: “It’s not a concern, his focus on the game when he’s enjoying it and after the 1-0 it’s key to keep calm and mature.”

A Setback After Progress

The defeat interrupted a good run. Chelsea had been showing progress under Alonso, with a big win over Bournemouth and an impressive win at Everton. On Saturday they were also without injured forward João Pedro and lacked bite in attack, according to ESPN.

Alonso did not hide his disappointment. “For sure we are disappointed with the result, with the performance,” he said. He described what he told the players at half-time: “we thought it was going to be about the first goal” and the second half would be about staying tight. Both teams created some half chances, and the match turned on key moments. Once Chelsea conceded the first goal, Alonso said, “it changed everything”.

“We needed a reaction,” he said, and he added: “we can do better.”

Tottenham left Stamford Bridge with a result that lifted them to 12th in the table. For Alonso, the next job is to talk to Palmer and to keep Penders, and the rest of the squad, behind him after a defeat he says belongs to everyone.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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