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A shot from Manchester United’s Cameroonian midfielder #19 Bryan Mbeumo comes back off the crossbar after a save from Chelsea’s Belgian goalkeeper #39 Mike Penders during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London on October 31, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / AFP via Getty Images
In the first Premier League start of his career, Mike Penders made a massive error that played a big part in a rare, 2-0 defeat against Spurs at Stamford Bridge.
In the second Premier League start of his career, Mike Penders made a massive save that helped preserve all three points in a (not quite as rare but still more rare than it should be) 2-0 victory against Manchester United.
That save, which needed slow-motion replay to confirm that the 21-year-old did in fact somehow get a fingertip to Bryan Mbeumo’s piledriver, affecting the course of the ball just enough to have it bounce out rather than in off the underside of the crossbar, was so good in fact that it’s been nominated for the Premier League’s Save of the Month award for October.
Other nominees include Walter Benítez, Bart Verbruggen, Christian Walton, Dean Henderson, and Zion Suzuki. You can vote for Big Mike here. (Though the Benítez and Suzuki saves were equally ridiculous.)
Xabi Alonso also picked up a nomination, for Manager of the Month. This is his second such nomination already in fact, after also earning one for August.
He didn’t win then, and he faces an uphill battle this time around as well, with Roberto De Zerbi perhaps the frontrunner after resuscitating Spurs’ season (including their aforementioned victory at the Bridge).