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

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead before the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors rallied after the interval following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the restart

And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and deliver new directions in the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I questioned the fourth official at this point if you want to take action. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we educate our players in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt 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"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League matches to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having notched fewer Premier League goals this season

Tactical Adjustments

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that nearly reversed their fortunes

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

"During the break we were in control. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they put a pair up top and altered the setup a little bit," said Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the match. We got together on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was crucial to get things right"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

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

Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second period display provided enough proof to indicate they are capable of halting their present form and moving back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us plenty of belief. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to win the points," Farke continued

"We possessed the belief before the game, during the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the City centre-backs"

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