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

The visitors made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the interval

Second Period Comeback Denied

Nevertheless, the visitors rallied after the break after a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and deliver fresh directions in the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"Unless we teach our players in football what to do in regards of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply attempt to bend the rules 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 rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth loss in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less Premier League strikes this season

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness especially around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes

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

"During the break we were in control. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put two in attack and altered the setup a bit," said Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the match. We assembled on the edge of the field and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds United

The most recent occasion Leeds suffered four straight consecutive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period performance provided sufficient proof to indicate they are capable of arresting their current form and moving up the standings

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we show such spirit and unity we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager continued

"We had the confidence before the game, throughout the fixture and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and determination in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

Speaking on radio analysis, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period"

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

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

"It looked like it might be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City found a bit of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"