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Leeds manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight match at the Etihad

The visitors made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage before the interval

Second-Half Revival Denied

Nevertheless, Leeds rallied following the interval following a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the resumption

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and issue new instructions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the spirit of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to find a resolution"

Manager's Frustration

"I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to take action. Our options are limited"

"If we don't teach our players in the game what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's injury-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight matches to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored less top-flight strikes this term

Strategic Adjustments

However, Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of adventure especially around changes, was almost rewarded for a courageous choice at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his team were only able to regroup following Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"During the break we were in control. Second half they came out, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two up top and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We really had difficulty to get hold of the game. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds United lost four successive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with relegation

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke stated that "our overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half performance offered enough proof to suggest they are capable of halting their present run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a great chance to win the results," Farke added

"We had the confidence prior to the match, during the game and after the game. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have strong unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second half"

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

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

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