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

The visitors got off to the poorest beginning with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second Period Revival Thwarted

However, Leeds fought back following the break following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away following the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and issue fresh directions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everyone understands why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is smart. 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 up to the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Manager's Frustration

"I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to take action. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply try to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Late Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League matches to place them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolves having notched less top-flight goals this season

Tactical Adjustments

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

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his team were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

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

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the game. We got together on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The last occasion Leeds United lost four straight successive Premier League matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign ended with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second-half display offered sufficient proof to suggest they are able of halting their present form and moving back up the standings

"Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager added

"We had the belief prior to the match, throughout the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on 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 measure of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"