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Leeds manager Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" in their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Comeback Denied

However, the visitors rallied following the break after a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the restart

And with City clearly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue new instructions in the 120 seconds play was stopped for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a resolution"

Coach's Frustration

"I ask the fourth official at this point if you want to do something. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we teach our players in the game what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Late Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight fixtures to place them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight strikes this term

Strategic Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of adventure especially around changes, was nearly vindicated for a bold decision at the interval that almost turned around their situation

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

"During the break we were in control. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put two up top and altered the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden

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

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds United suffered four consecutive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "their overriding feeling is frustration", their second period display offered sufficient evidence to indicate they are able of halting their present run and climbing back up the standings

"Displaying such a display should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a excellent opportunity to earn the points," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence before the game, during the fixture and following the encounter. Otherwise you can't respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second period"

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

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

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