According to a report by Football London on Monday, October 26, 2026, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed that goalkeeper Mike Penders will retain his place in the starting line-up for Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool, despite his costly mistake in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Alonso has defended the young goalkeeper following Chelsea's 2-0 home loss to their London rivals at Stamford Bridge.

Penders endured a difficult moment during his full Premier League debut on Saturday when he misjudged a corner and punched the ball into his own net, allowing Tottenham to take the lead.

The 21-year-old had produced some encouraging moments before the incident, but Chelsea struggled to convert their opportunities.

Mathys Tel subsequently doubled Tottenham's advantage, leaving Alonso's side with another disappointing result.

Despite the setback, Alonso has made it clear that he remains confident in the Belgian goalkeeper and will give him another opportunity to prove his quality when Chelsea travel to Anfield.

"It’s part of the business; you need to deal with mistakes, and we keep confidence in Mike, and he will be in goal against Liverpool," said the Chelsea manager. "We win, and we lose together, and it’s part of the job to deal with mistakes, myself as well as everyone.

"We support Mike and Geo [Quenda] as well, the guys starting their first [Premier League] games. He will want to prove he can do better, and we also have to show that."

Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix also expressed support for Penders, insisting that the young goalkeeper has the talent to recover from the setback.

"He is a young goalkeeper and he has a lot of talent. He will learn from this.

"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."

Lacroix also stressed the importance of responding positively against Liverpool, with Chelsea determined to progress further in the competition.