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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight match at the Etihad

The visitors made the worst possible start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the interval

Second Period Comeback Denied

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back after the interval after a change of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue fresh directions in the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was clear. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a solution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I ask the fourth official at this point if you wish to take action. Our options are limited"

"Unless we teach our footballers in the game what to do in regards of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we simply try to bend the rules and actually do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's stoppage-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having scored fewer top-flight goals this term

Tactical Changes

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure especially around substitutions, was nearly vindicated for a courageous decision at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Talking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize following Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in control. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two in attack and changed the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the match. We assembled on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds United

The last occasion Leeds United lost four successive Premier League matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second-half display provided sufficient proof to indicate they are able of halting their present run and climbing back up the table

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to earn the results," the manager continued

"We possessed the confidence prior to the game, during the game and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

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

"Leeds can derive a lot from this display with the manner they have played in this second half"

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

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