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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium

Leeds got off to the poorest beginning with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

Nevertheless, Leeds fought back following the break following a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the restart

Furthermore with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue new instructions in the two minutes the game was stopped for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within 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 assistant referee at this moment if you wish 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 fair play and whatever and if we simply try to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League matches to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight goals this term

Strategic Changes

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only able to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his players

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

"We really struggled to gain control of the game. We got together on the edge of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds suffered four straight consecutive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion

However, while Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second-half display offered sufficient evidence to indicate they are able of halting their present run and moving back up the standings

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

"We possessed the belief before the match, during the game and following the game. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half"

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

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

"It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City found a bit of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"