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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

The visitors made the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead before the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors rallied following the break after a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the restart

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and issue new directions in the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everyone understands why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is smart. If I approve? If it's within the sense of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

"I questioned the fourth official at this point if you want to do something. Our options are limited"

"If we don't teach our players in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules and even do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to place them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched less Premier League goals this term

Tactical Adjustments

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around changes, was nearly rewarded for a courageous choice at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his side were only able to regroup following Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in control. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and altered the formation a little bit," said Phil Foden

"We really had difficulty to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds United suffered four straight consecutive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with demotion

Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance provided enough evidence to suggest they are able of halting their present run and moving up the table

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a great chance to win the results," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence before the match, during the fixture and following the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the dressing room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period"

"Leeds can derive a lot from this performance with the manner they have performed in this second period"

"Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City defenders"

"It looked like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds United's campaign, but Manchester City found a measure of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"