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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" in their Premier League match at the Etihad

The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back after the break after a adjustment of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the restart

Furthermore with City clearly struggling to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue fresh directions in the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke commented

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. 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 governing bodies to find a resolution"

Coach's Frustration

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

"Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and everything 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 like personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven Premier League matches to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight strikes this season

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a bold decision at the interval that nearly reversed their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

"At half-time we were in control. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two in attack and changed the formation a bit," said Phil Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the match. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and changed a few things and it improved from there. That little break was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds suffered four straight successive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with relegation

Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "their main emotion is frustration", their second-half display provided sufficient evidence to indicate they are capable of arresting their present run and climbing back up the standings

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

"We had the confidence before the match, during the game and following the game. Or else you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have strong unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

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

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City defenders"

"It looked like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City discovered a measure of quality. They escaped with one this evening"