Penders started the season as our number two, behind Emiliano Martinez in the pecking order. He made his Blues debut in the Carabao Cup victory over Luton Town in August and started the next round, too, as Leeds United were beaten 6-3.

But the tall Belgian was thrust into the spotlight when Martinez sustained a nasty jaw injury midway through the second half of our Premier League game at Everton. Penders helped see out the clean sheet, making a positive first impression in the English top flight.

However, the following weekend, it was Penders’ own goal that set Tottenham on their way to a rare victory at Stamford Bridge. That mistake was a test of the 21-year-old’s nerve, but his response was emphatic. He put in two stellar performances against Liverpool and Manchester United, with several saves plucked from the very top drawer.

There is certainly plenty for Penders to reflect on as he sits down at Cobham ahead of our trip to Sunderland this weekend.

‘Right now I feel very good,’ he says. ‘It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions as well, but now I’m very happy I could react positively in the last two games.

‘When it comes to pressure, I try to stay as relaxed as possible. And then, of course, mistakes happen. You think about them, that’s normal, but I try to turn it into something positive. I try to learn about it. I like to look at the videos to see what I could do better, and then move on.

‘It was a learning moment, and outside of the mistake, I felt okay during the game. The most important thing was to have a positive reaction in the next couple of games, and I’m happy I could bring that.’

Penders benefitted from having his whole family in attendance at the Tottenham game. Afterwards, they offered support, of course, but were also able to take his mind off it by changing the subject when required.

Penders also felt the love from his team-mates and his manager, Xabi Alonso.

‘He spoke very positively about me during interviews, which gave me a lot of confidence to go into the next game. Also, my defenders and some of the other players came up to me and just spoke with me. I appreciated that a lot.

‘You don’t forget these kinds of things, you know? The players who come up to you, write you a little message: "Keep your head up, keep going.” It means a lot.’

Any goalkeeper plays on the margins. A small error can be brutally punished. On the flip side, a pivotal save can preserve three points. It comes with the territory.

Just seven days after his own goal, Penders made such a brilliant stop it has been nominated for the Premier League Save of the Month award. You can vote for Mike’s improbable fingertip stop from Bryan Mbeumo’s rasping volley here.

It was a save so good that it needed multiple replays and camera angles to prove Penders had actually got a decisive touch on the ball. He reveals it was a source of mirth among his team-mates afterwards.

‘The ball came so quickly, I didn’t even see it properly,’ says Penders.

‘It was just instinct, pure instinct; a reaction. I felt a good touch on my fingertips, and after that moment, I screamed all the positive emotions out. I had to. I was so happy with that moment.

‘Then, after the game, no-one believed me that I touched it! I was like, “Yeah, I touched it; you will see afterwards”.

‘Then it was pretty quickly on Twitter. A team-mate came into the dressing room saying: “He touched it”. I was very happy it was a good angle because if the angle wasn't right, they could still have some doubts!’

Penders is flattered by comparisons to his compatriot Thibaut Courtois, which serve as motivation to work even harder. His focus now is on trying to write his own story and make a name for himself.

He knows one way to do that is to learn from those around him. Martinez – ‘a very good guy’ – has already proven to be a huge help, and there are certain elements of the Argentinean’s game that Penders is trying to implement in his own, as he sees fit.

Combine those Cobham learnings with invaluable Premier League experience and you sense Penders’ trajectory is rising. It gives him hope he can realise his ambitions, even if he knows there is a long way to go.

‘I have a lot of dreams...a lot of dreams. I hope I can win as many trophies as possible with the club.

‘The big dream? I think that would be winning the Champions League or winning a World Cup with my country, something like that. And then maybe go for the biggest individual prizes.

‘These are dreams that are far away, but you want to work towards them. This is the start of the journey.’