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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their top-flight match at the Etihad

Leeds made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage ahead of the interval

Second Period Comeback Denied

Nevertheless, Leeds rallied following the break following a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and deliver fresh directions in the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he went down it was clear. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a solution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you wish to take action. Our hands are tied"

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched less top-flight goals this term

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure especially around substitutions, 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 team were only able to regroup following Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a little bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the game. We got together on the edge of the field and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The last occasion Leeds United suffered four successive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with demotion

However, while Farke said that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second-half display offered sufficient proof to indicate they are capable of halting their present run and moving up the standings

"Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we show such spirit and unity we have a great chance to earn the points," the manager continued

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

Expert Opinion

Speaking on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half"

"Leeds can take a lot from this display with the way they have performed in this second period"

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It appeared like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but Manchester City discovered a bit of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"