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All eyes were on Mike Penders during Chelsea’s Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Penders came in for quite a bit of criticism following his side’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend. It was the young goalkeeper who gave Spurs the lead that day after punching the ball into the back of the net.
Unfortunately, Penders could not pay Chelsea back by being the hero in their penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. While the 21-year-old was able to make one save, Xabi Alonso’s side still went on to lose after Wesley Fofana missed the crucial kick.
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His passing could have been more accurate. Penders completed just 19 of his 35 passes, giving him a 54% pass success rate. Penders only completed three out of 19 long balls, giving him a low long ball accuracy (16%) as well.
When he was called into action, though, he was ready and made some important saves. It means Penders can move on from his Tottenham nightmare. He has to, Chelsea have another big game coming up.
The Blues face Michael Carrick’s struggling Manchester United side this Saturday. They will be expected to win given the form the Red Devils are in.