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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke claimed City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at the Etihad

The visitors made the worst possible start with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

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

Furthermore with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and deliver fresh directions during the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"If we don't educate our players in football what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and everything 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 personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth loss in seven Premier League matches to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight goals this term

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of adventure especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a bold choice at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in command. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a bit," said Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds lost four successive Premier League matches was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with relegation

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance provided enough evidence to suggest they are able of arresting their current form and climbing back up the standings

"Displaying such a display should give us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a great chance to win the results," the manager continued

"We possessed the confidence prior to the match, during the fixture and after the game. Or else you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Speaking on radio analysis, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second period"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the Manchester City centre-backs"

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