One Chelsea player already knows he will start against Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, and Xabi Alonso is right to stick with him.

Mike Penders is the goalkeeper with a question mark hanging over his head, but Alonso has seemingly put any doubts about his inclusion to rest. The decision would show faith in a young talent who endured a forgettable full debut on Saturday, while sending a clear message about how Chelsea treat their players when things go wrong.

"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. "

His first full Premier League appearance ended in a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, Chelsea’s first home loss to Spurs since April 2018. One moment of misjudgement from a corner shaped how the night felt, and it was costly. It tells only part of the story.

The 21-year-old Belgium international had performed well until the final 15 minutes. His costly mistake came when he misjudged the flight of a Tottenham corner and, under pressure from a Spurs centre-back, punched the ball into his own net to gift the visitors the opening goal.

His teammates did not help him, botching build-up play and wasting chances to take the lead. Once the error came, the match opened up and Mathys Tel doubled Tottenham’s lead through no fault of the Chelsea keeper. Penders made his best efforts to keep Chelsea in the game, and the damage was spread across the whole team.

Alonso defended his goalkeeper after the match and has now backed that up with selection.

"We win, and we lose together, and it’s part of the job to deal with mistakes, myself as well as everyone."

Dropping Penders after a single costly mistake would risk undermining his confidence, particularly with Emi Martinez recovering from jaw surgery and Chelsea needing stability in goal. Trust is an important part of building a young goalkeeper’s confidence, and he needs to know that one error will not automatically cost him his place. Young players need room to make mistakes, learn from them and prove they can bounce back.

The Liverpool tie also offers Penders the perfect opportunity to respond. A cup game against a top opponent presents its own challenges, but a strong performance could help him put Saturday’s disappointment behind him and remind everyone why Chelsea have faith in his potential.

Chelsea may make several changes to their starting XI on Wednesday, but one thing should remain constant for Xabi Alonso in the coming weeks: his willingness to back Penders and give the young goalkeeper the chance to recover from his mistake.