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

Leeds made the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead before the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

However, Leeds fought back following the interval following a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the resumption

And with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue new instructions in the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everybody understands 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 regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I ask the fourth official at this moment if you wish to do something. Our options are limited"

"Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we just try to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League matches to place them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having scored fewer Premier League goals this term

Tactical Adjustments

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a bold choice at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his team were only capable to regroup after Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair in attack and changed the formation a little bit," commented Phil Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds United lost four successive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with relegation

However, while Farke stated that "our main emotion is frustration", their second-half performance offered enough evidence to suggest they are capable of halting their present run and moving back up the table

"To show such a display should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a great chance to earn the points," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence before the game, during the game and after the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Speaking on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half"

"Leeds can take a lot from this display with the manner 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 physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' season, but City discovered a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this evening"