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

The visitors made the worst possible start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second Period Revival Denied

However, Leeds rallied following the break after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart

And with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the touchline and issue fresh directions in the 120 seconds play was stopped for

"Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke commented

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

Manager's Disappointment

"I ask the fourth official at this moment if you wish to do something. Our options are limited"

"If we don't teach our players in football what to do in regards of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League strikes this season

Strategic Adjustments

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a courageous choice at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

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

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and altered the setup a little bit," said Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to get things right"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds United

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

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance provided sufficient evidence to suggest they are able of halting their current form and moving back up the standings

"Displaying such a display should give us lots of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a great opportunity to win the results," Farke continued

"We had the belief prior to the match, during the game and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period"

"Leeds can take a lot from this performance with the way they have played in this second period"

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

"It appeared like it could be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but City found a measure of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"