The 21-year-old Belgian has experienced a dramatic introduction to life at Stamford Bridge, going from criticism after an error against Spurs to producing a series of encouraging displays, including a late save against Manchester United.
Penders punched the ball into his own net against Tottenham, but insisted that he did not allow the mistake to undermine his confidence. He admitted, however, that the reaction in England was on a different scale to anything he had experienced previously at Genk.
“The criticism here is on a different scale,” he told Play Sports.
“If you make a mistake like that at Genk, everyone will have something to say about it too. But the scale of it here is different.”
Rather than dwell on the error, Penders immediately focused on producing a response.
“I stayed calm, because these things can happen and they will happen again. I already had it in my head that I wanted to respond against Liverpool. The fact that I managed to do that makes it feel twice as good now.”
His performance against Manchester United provided another high point. Penders produced an excellent late save to deny Bryan Mbeumo and help preserve Chelsea's 2-0 lead, although he joked that his team-mates initially did not believe he had touched the ball.
“Nobody in the dressing room believed I’d got a touch on it,” he laughed. “But I’ve sent the footage to a few team-mates now.”
The moment carried particular significance after the Tottenham mistake.
“Those were all positive emotions coming out. Absolutely brilliant! That’s the best feeling you can have as a goalkeeper. Especially at this level, and particularly after what happened against Tottenham. Everyone saw that…”
Penders' opportunity has come after a difficult period in which his position in the Chelsea pecking order appeared uncertain. Following his loan spell at Strasbourg, he returned hoping to compete with Robert Sánchez, only for the club to bring in Emiliano Martínez.
The Belgian accepted that he had to keep working rather than become frustrated by the situation.
“Those are situations you have to learn to deal with. As a goalkeeper, there’s only ever one place in the team. After that, it was about pushing even harder and keeping going.”
Martínez's injury eventually opened the door, and Penders has taken his chance to establish himself in the side.
“You always hope for something like this and dream as big as possible. But did I expect it? That’s very difficult in football. Right now, I’m just trying to be there for my team.”
The attention that comes with playing for Chelsea is not something he wants to avoid. Indeed, he believes it can help him improve.
“I actually enjoy this pressure. It just makes you a bit better and sharper.”
His performances have also prompted comparisons with former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, another Belgian who became a major figure at Stamford Bridge.
“I see it quite a lot, especially online. But as I’ve said before, being compared to one of the best goalkeepers in the world is something I see as very positive.”
After an error that attracted widespread criticism, Penders has responded with the sort of performances that can build confidence. He is now embracing the demands of the Chelsea shirt, rather than allowing the scrutiny to weigh him down.