Canaries flying as Klose swoops
DANIEL Farke heralded his Norwich side’s threat from set-pieces and said they had secured their biggest win of the season so far with success over Nottingham Forest.
Defender Timm Klose netted twice, once following a free-kick and, in the 85th minute, following a corner, to help the Canaries bounce back from going a goal down to claim three points and secure a place in the top six.
Lewis Grabban had given the home side the lead against his former club in the fifth minute but, after Joe Lolley had hit the bar, it was the visitors who took charge.
Farke was delighted with the performance – and the result.
“It probably is that kind of result,” he said, when asked if it was a win that would make the Championship sit up and take note. “It was a good result and people might now be looking at us and thinking that we deserve a little more respect.
“Each and every win is imbrilliantly portant and big, and we have had some big wins – but, yeah, this might have been our biggest so far. We controlled 75 minutes of the game, we had more possession, we had more shots and chances.”
Farke was delighted to see Klose score twice, saying: “It is so important to have a threat from set-pieces.
“You need some goals from other positions at times and I am totally pleased that Timm Klose was there for two goals.
“That is so important. Sometimes a set-piece goal can win you games like this. I am pleased that my central defenders are starting to score.”
Forest boss Aitor Karanka lamented the lack of “intensity” from his side, after they had dominated the opening 15 minutes, before fading away as the game went on.
“We paid for not getting the second goal in the first 15 minutes,” he said.
Forest made a bright start, carving out two dangerous moments before Grabban pounced to give them a lead after five minutes. Joe Lolley had been inches away from sending the striker clear with a lovely chipped ball over the top, which Tim Krul pounced on alertly.
But the Norwich keeper could do little when Joao Carvalho picked out Grabban with an almost identical lofted pass, with the £6m man this time able to guide a simple, but composed, finish beyond Krul and inside the post from seven yards.
Forest were inches away from making it 2-0 when Lolley cut in from the left to strike a rising shot that bounced away off the underside of the bar.
Norwich too were denied by the woodwork, when they threatened for the first time, with Onel Hernandez angling in a shot from the left side of the box, which bounced away off the far post, with Costel Pantilimon beaten.
Norwich’s equaliser came in the 60th minute when Moritz Leitner whipped in a free-kick from the left and Klose applied the vital touch amid a melee of players.
The Canaries kept on building pressure and when a cross picked out Rhodes in the centre and, he flicked the ball towards goal, Pantilimon could only parry – and Klose was again the quickest to react.