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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden finding the net within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors rallied following the interval following a adjustment of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately following the resumption

Furthermore with City visibly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and deliver fresh instructions during the 120 seconds play was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution"

Manager's Frustration

"I ask 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 terms of fair play and fair play and everything and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order 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 sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League matches to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having scored fewer top-flight strikes this term

Strategic Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that almost reversed their situation

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

"During the break we were in command. Second half they came out, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and changed the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the game. We assembled on the edge of the field and changed a few things and it improved from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

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

Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "their main feeling is frustration", their second period display provided enough proof to indicate they are able of halting their present run and moving up the standings

"To show such a display should give us lots of confidence. If we show such determination and unity we have a excellent chance to earn the results," Farke added

"We had the confidence before the match, during the fixture and following the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half"

"Leeds 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 often questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City defenders"

"It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City discovered a bit of quality. They got away with one this evening"