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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

The visitors got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead before the interval

Second Period Comeback Denied

However, Leeds rallied after the break after a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the resumption

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within the spirit of fair play? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a solution"

Manager's Frustration

"I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to take action. Our options are limited"

"Unless we educate our players in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Late Winner

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched less top-flight strikes this term

Tactical Changes

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a bold decision at the interval that almost reversed their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to regroup after Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We really had difficulty to gain control of the game. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds lost four successive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding feeling is frustration", their second-half display offered sufficient proof to indicate they are capable of halting their current form and climbing up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to win the results," the manager added

"We had the confidence prior to the game, throughout the fixture and after the game. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period"

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the City centre-backs"

"It appeared like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"