Maxence Lacroix has expressed his support for Mike Penders after the young goalkeeper’s costly error contributed to Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, insisting that the squad will stand by him as he works to recover from the disappointment.

According to reports, the defender believes Penders has the talent and potential to learn from the incident, urging his teammates to help the 21-year-old regain his confidence rather than allow one mistake to define his progress.

Penders was given his first Premier League start for Chelsea after Emiliano Martinez suffered an injury. However, his opportunity to impress ended in disappointment during Saturday’s encounter at Stamford Bridge, where the Blues struggled to overcome their London rivals.

The Belgian goalkeeper had produced several useful saves before the decisive incident in the 77th minute. While attempting to deal with the ball, he punched it into his own net, allowing Tottenham to take the lead. The visitors subsequently strengthened their advantage when Mathys Tel scored a second goal 10 minutes later, securing all three points.

Speaking in an interview published on Chelsea’s official website after the match, Lacroix acknowledged that mistakes are part of a footballer’s development and stressed that Penders should not face the consequences of the error without the backing of his teammates.

“He is a young goalkeeper and he has a lot of talent. He will learn from this,” Lacroix said.

“This can happen in football careers and in life, everyone makes mistakes, and we have to be with him and we are going to be with him. We are behind him. He will help us this season and now we have to help him.”

The defender’s comments offer a message of reassurance to Penders at a difficult moment in his early Chelsea career. Receiving a first league start is an important milestone for a young goalkeeper, but the pressure of playing at the highest level can be considerable, particularly when an error directly affects the result.

Despite the mistake, Penders had shown some encouraging signs before conceding. Statistics from Sofascore, cited in the report, indicated that he made three saves, all from efforts taken inside the penalty area. He also completed two successful run-outs, demonstrating that he had contributed positively in certain situations.

Nevertheless, other figures reflected the difficulties he experienced. His passing accuracy was recorded at 53 per cent, while his goals-prevented statistic stood at -0.88. Those numbers illustrated a challenging overall outing, although they do not erase the useful interventions he made earlier in the match.

The defeat also added to the pressure on Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, whose team failed to respond effectively after Tottenham opened the scoring. The Blues were unable to recover from Penders’ error, and Tel’s late contribution confirmed a disappointing result for the home side.

Lacroix also experienced a difficult afternoon against Tottenham. The French defender joined Chelsea from Crystal Palace during the summer in a deal reportedly worth £52 million and had initially made a promising impression at Stamford Bridge. However, his recent performances have attracted criticism, adding to the scrutiny surrounding the team’s defensive displays.

For now, Lacroix’s priority is to ensure that Penders receives the support needed to move forward. His message was that the goalkeeper remains an important member of the squad and that Chelsea’s players must help him learn from the experience rather than allow the setback to undermine his confidence.