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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 match at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead before the interval

Second Period Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back following the interval following a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the resumption

Furthermore with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue new directions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. If I approve? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a resolution"

Manager's Frustration

"I ask the fourth official at this point if you want to take action. Our options are limited"

"If we don't educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was almost vindicated for a courageous choice at the half-time that almost reversed their situation

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to regroup following Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"During the break we were in command. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two in attack and altered the setup a bit," said Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the match. We got together on the side of the pitch and changed a few things and it got better from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The last time Leeds lost four straight consecutive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period display provided sufficient evidence to suggest they are capable of halting their present form and moving back up the table

"To show such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a great opportunity to win the results," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence before the match, during the fixture and following the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the dressing room"

Expert Analysis

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

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It looked like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a bit of quality. They got away with one this evening"