Blackburn Rovers were indebted to Leeds United loanee Marcus Antonsson as he scored the winner against Scunthorpe United.
Marcus Antonsson’s Leeds United career went downhill fast last season. The 26-year-old started strongly at Elland Road following his 2016 move from Swedish club Kalmar but it became clear very early on that manager Gary Monk did not believe he could cut it in the Championship.
Antonsson’s most recent league start of the club came in September’s 2-1 win against Blackburn Rovers, the striker restricted instead to the odd cup outing against the likes of Sutton United.
It’s easy to forget, then, that the seldom-seen Antonsson was the Swedish top flight’s top scorer when he moved to Leeds last summer and made an immediate impression with a goal in August’s 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
However, his last few games on loan at Blackburn Rovers in League One have hinted at a return of the sharp movement and incisive finishing that marked the £2 million forward out as a potentially inspired bargain when he first arrived in West Yorkshire a year ago, as reported by the Yorkshire Post.
Match winner
After opening his account in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Rochdale, Antonsson was on target again in Blackburn colours to turn a below-par performance at Scunthorpe United into a valuable three-point haul.
Latching onto a perfect Elliot Bennett cross, Antonsson fired home a right footed volley at the far post in the 58th minute. To make the goal even more impressive, it was Antonsson’s first shot of the game.
He had been quiet up until the hour mark but one flick of his boot made the difference. Talk about clinical.
The Swede will need to maintain his current form if he is to force his way back into Leeds’ plans but the very least he can do is give Thomas Christiansen a decision to make.
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