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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their Premier League match at the Etihad

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage before the interval

Second Period Comeback Denied

However, Leeds rallied following the interval after a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the restart

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

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to find a resolution"

Manager's Frustration

"I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you want to do something. Our hands are tied"

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in regards of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to bend the rules and even do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like myself. But if it is within the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having scored less top-flight strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a bold decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to reorganize following Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in control. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair up top and changed the formation a little bit," said Phil Foden

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

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The last occasion Leeds United lost four successive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign ended with relegation

However, while Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half display provided sufficient evidence to suggest they are capable of arresting their present form and climbing up the standings

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

"We had the confidence before the game, during the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently questioned for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City discovered a bit of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"