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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" in their top-flight fixture at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Comeback Denied

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

Furthermore with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get treatment, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke commented

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the spirit of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a solution"

Coach's Disappointment

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

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in regards of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just attempt to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team talk, 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 injury-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored less Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of adventure particularly around changes, was nearly vindicated for a bold choice at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"During the break we were in control. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and altered the setup a bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We got together on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

The last occasion Leeds suffered four consecutive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "their main feeling is frustration", their second period display offered enough proof to suggest they are able of halting their current run and moving up the table

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we show such spirit and unity we have a great opportunity to win the results," the manager continued

"We had the belief prior to the game, throughout the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you can't respond with a performance like that. We have strong unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

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

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

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

"It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but City found a measure of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"