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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

The visitors got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' advantage ahead of the interval

Second Period Comeback Denied

However, Leeds rallied following the interval following a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the resumption

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the sense of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a solution"

Coach's Disappointment

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

"If we don't teach our footballers in the game what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply try to bend the rules and even do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's injury-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having scored less top-flight goals this term

Strategic Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a bold choice at the half-time that almost reversed their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to regroup following Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

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

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That little break was crucial to get things right"

Positive Aspects for Leeds United

The last occasion Leeds suffered four straight consecutive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with relegation

However, while Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is disappointment", their second-half display offered sufficient proof to indicate they are capable of arresting their present form and moving back up the standings

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

"We had the belief before the match, during the fixture and following the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a performance like that. We have strong unity and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

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

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City centre-backs"

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