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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium

The visitors made the worst possible start with Phil Foden finding the net within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

However, Leeds rallied following the break after a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the restart

And with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and issue new directions in the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. 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 up to the authorities to find a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

"I questioned the fourth official at this moment if you want to do something. Our hands are tied"

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth loss in seven top-flight matches to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having notched less Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold choice at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair up top and changed the setup a bit," commented Foden

"We really struggled to get hold of the match. We got together on the edge of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds United suffered four successive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with demotion

However, while Farke said that "our main feeling is frustration", their second-half performance offered enough proof to indicate they are able of halting their current run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a display should provide us lots of belief. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a great opportunity to earn the results," the manager added

"We had the belief prior to the match, during the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Speaking on radio analysis, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half"

"Leeds can take a lot from this performance 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 ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs"

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