Farke’s so happy to survive his Klose call
TIMM KLOSE showed just why Daniel Farke was so keen to keep him at Norwich City in the summer.
The Swiss international’s two second-half goals turned this game on its head to underline Norwich’s promotion credentials.
Klose’s double wiped out former Canary Lewis Grabban’s fifth-minute opener for Forest to fire Farke’s revamped side into the play-off places.
Despite having to sell top stars like James Maddison at the end of last season to raise much-needed cash, Farke managed to hang on to Klose – despite interest from Germany.
And the centre-back, 30, proved why his manager feels he is key to a promotion bid by inflicting only a second defeat of the season on Forest.
“Probably all the teams will take notice of the win and that is good – it is a massive win,” said Farke.
“We had to raise many millions in the summer so to have a team of academy players and youngsters that not too many people know is fantastic.
“I feel Forest are one of the favourites for promotion so to beat them in their stadium in front of a sell-out crowd is brilliant and we deserved it.”
Klose headed Moritz Leitner’s free-kick beyond the helpless Costel Pantilimon to expose one of a string of defensive errors, as Forest fell to pieces after a lightning start with Grabban’s sixth goal in seven games.
Pantilimon was then left exposed by his defence again and could only push Jordan Rhodes’ free header along his goalline for Klose to grab his third goal in as many games.
Two weeks ago Aitor Karanka’s side won at Middlesbrough but in front of a sold-out City Ground they fell to pieces.
Karanka said: “Sometimes the players needed help from the fans.
“But they could feel the pressure when they made a bad pass or a mistake.
“The stadium needs to keep calm and support the players in bad moments because it has a bad effect when they don’t.”
HUGO LLORIS kept Spurs in the game but forgotten man Erik Lamela decided it.
The Argentine’s fifth goal of the season sank West Ham to rubber-stamp Tottenham’s best start to a Premier League season, after their seventh win in nine games lifted them to fourth.
Lamela, whose career has been cruelly hit by injuries, ensured his first start of the season had a dream ending.
Spurs keeper Lloris still had to pull off a series of fine saves, mainly from Hammers striker Marko Arnautovic, to create a piece of Tottenham history.
It brought a halt to battling West Ham’s hopes of turning a corner and they have now lost six of boss Manuel Pellegrini’s first nine Premier League games in charge of the club.
Delighted Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “We were better in the first half, it was competitive and an emotional game.
“Sometimes it is difficult to explain a change in a player but Erik has matured. It’s his sixth year here and he is more relaxed, calm, more consistent and playing at his best.
“He has had to come through a lot. He has had a lot of injury problems.
“Erik was fantastic but I prefer to talk about the group, the team.
“We’ve had a tough time, with another tough time ahead. But so far so good.
“I am delighted with the start – our best. But I want more.
“People will say this justifies us not signing players in the summer but I do not see it that way.
“Circumstances decided that but I want signings in January. I want to push on.” Hammers boss Pellegrini said: “We played a very good game and the last 45 minutes we dominated.
“We defended very well, which is not easy against Spurs and apart from Lamela’s goal they did not create one chance.”
Spurs took a 43rd-minute lead against the run of play through a rare header from Lamela.
Moussa Sissoko ambushed Felipe Anderson on the right, cut in and floated over a cross that Lamela calmly headed in for his seventh goal in nine games.
West Ham had far more of the possession, Mark Noble in particular looking influential.
But when it came to the business end there was little final product. There was much expected from the Hammers following their brilliant 3-1 win over Manchester United in their last home game.
There was plenty of huffing and puffing from both sides – with Lucas Moura trying hard to lift Spurs – but his energy was not picked up by his team-mates, with the exception of Lamela. Sadly, the most talked about incident of the first half before Lamela’s goal for Spurs was a bizarre injury to Andriy Yarmolenko. West Ham’s Ukrainian winger was stretchered off in the 43rd minute after seeming to get his legs in a tangle.
So Spurs survived another one of the