Leeds 2-1 Middlesbrough: Pontus Jansson thanks Garry Monk, reacts to his Elland Road return

Follow us on Google Discover

Leeds United beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson (L) tries to block an attempt from Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho

Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson has told Sky Sports that Garry Monk’s return wasn’t integral to Leeds’ performance against Middlesbrough – and he even thanked his former boss.

The Whites came out of the international break having lost seven in their previous nine games, and manager Thomas Christiansen desperately needed a result on Sunday afternoon.

The return to Elland Road of his predecessor, Garry Monk, sparked a huge atmosphere, and Leeds responded with a superb performance in a 2-1 victory.

Manager of Middlesbrough, Garry Monk

Pablo Hernandez opened the scoring with a smart finish at the back post from Ezgjan Alioski’s cross, before Macedonian winger Alioski made it 2-0, with Hernandez returning the favour with a superb assist.

Britt Assombalonga pulled one back from the penalty spot for Middlesbrough, but Leeds held out for a much-needed victory – and gave Whites fans the chance to mock former boss Monk.

Monk stayed with Leeds for just one season before leaving at the end of last term, and he quickly moved on to Middlesbrough, with Leeds fans far from happy with the manner of his exit.

Whilst the Leeds fans were unsurprisingly hostile towards Monk, the players appeared to be solely focused on the match – which isn’t a huge shock given that some players didn’t even work under Monk.

One player who did, defender Pontus Jansson, told Sky Sports that Monk’s return wasn’t a huge factor in the performance as Leeds ‘don’t think like that’, but he did thank his former manager.

“No, we don’t see it in that way,” said Jansson. “If I talk personally, I’d want to say thank you to Garry, but of course we won against Middlesbrough, a good team, and he’s the coach there, unfortunately for him. I don’t see it in another way, I have to say thanks to him for a lot of things, and that’s how I see it,” he added.