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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium

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

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

However, Leeds rallied after the interval following a adjustment of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the touchline and deliver new instructions during the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke commented

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the regulations. 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 for the authorities to find a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"If we don't educate our players in football what to do in regards of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we just try to bend the rules and actually do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's injury-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored less top-flight goals this season

Strategic Adjustments

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a courageous choice at the half-time that almost turned around their situation

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to regroup after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We really had difficulty to gain control of the game. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds United lost four successive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion

Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their main feeling is frustration", their second-half display offered sufficient proof to indicate they are able of halting their current run and moving back up the table

"Displaying such a display should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the results," the manager continued

"We possessed the confidence before the match, throughout the fixture and following the encounter. Otherwise you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second half"

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently questioned for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City defenders"

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