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

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second Period Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, Leeds fought back following the break following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue new instructions in the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. 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 authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you wish to do something. Our options are limited"

"Unless we teach our players in the game what to do in regards of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight strikes this term

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around changes, was nearly vindicated for a bold choice at the half-time that almost reversed their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in command. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the game. We assembled on the edge of the field and adjusted a few things and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

The last time Leeds United lost four consecutive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with demotion

However, while Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second period performance offered enough proof to suggest they are able of halting their present run and moving back up the table

"To show such a performance should give us lots of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent chance to earn the results," Farke continued

"We possessed the belief prior to the game, during the game and following the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a showing like that. We have strong unity and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second period"

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs"

"It looked like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds' season, but City found a bit of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"