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

Leeds got off to the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the interval

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, Leeds fought back following the break following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and deliver new instructions during the two minutes play was halted for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a solution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight matches to place them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having notched fewer top-flight strikes this term

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a courageous choice at the half-time that almost reversed their situation

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, stated that his side were only able to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"At half-time we were in control. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the formation a little bit," commented Foden

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

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

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

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half performance provided enough evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their present run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a excellent chance to earn the points," the manager continued

"We possessed the confidence prior to the match, during the fixture and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

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

"Leeds can take a lot from this performance with the manner they have performed in this second half"

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City defenders"

"It appeared like it could be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a bit of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"