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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their top-flight fixture at Etihad Stadium

The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the interval

Second Period Revival Denied

However, Leeds fought back after the interval after a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately following the resumption

And with Manchester City visibly struggling to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive treatment, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue new directions during the two minutes play was halted for

"Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke commented

"It is not 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 keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"If we don't teach our players in the game what to do in regards of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain"

Late Winner

Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having notched fewer Premier League strikes this season

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around substitutions, was nearly vindicated for a courageous choice at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in command. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair up top and altered the setup a bit," said Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the game. We assembled on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

The last occasion Leeds United lost four straight successive Premier League matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance offered enough evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their present run and moving up the standings

"Displaying such a display should provide us lots of belief. If we show such determination and unity we have a excellent opportunity to earn the points," Farke added

"We possessed the belief before the match, throughout the game and following the encounter. Otherwise you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half"

"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 often questioned for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It appeared like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but City discovered a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this evening"