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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" during their Premier League fixture at Etihad Stadium

Leeds made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

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

Furthermore with Manchester City visibly struggling 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 team to the touchline and issue fresh directions during the two minutes play was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within the sense of fair play? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you want to do something. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we teach our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we simply try to bend the rules 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 within the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolves having notched fewer Premier League goals this term

Tactical Adjustments

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

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

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the setup a bit," said Foden

"We really had difficulty to get hold of the match. We got together on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The last time Leeds United lost four straight successive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their campaign ended with demotion

Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second-half performance offered sufficient evidence to indicate they are able of halting their present run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a excellent chance to earn the results," Farke added

"We had the confidence prior to the game, during the fixture and following the game. Otherwise you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City defenders"

"It appeared like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"