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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their top-flight match at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' advantage before the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

However, Leeds rallied after the break after a change of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately following the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and deliver fresh directions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a solution"

Coach's Frustration

"I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you wish to do something. Our options are limited"

"If we don't teach our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain"

Late Winner

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth loss in seven top-flight matches to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having scored fewer Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around changes, was nearly rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that nearly turned around their situation

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

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they put two in attack and altered the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds lost four consecutive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion

However, while Farke said that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second period display provided enough evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their present run and climbing up the standings

"To show such a performance should provide us lots of confidence. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to earn the results," Farke added

"We possessed the belief prior to the match, during the game and following the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a comfortable victory for City, but it has been far from easy in this second period"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City centre-backs"

"It looked like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this evening"