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

The visitors got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

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

And with City visibly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and deliver new instructions during the 120 seconds play 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 regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

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

"Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we just try to bend the rules and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to place them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight strikes this season

Strategic Changes

However, Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize following Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two up top and altered the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the match. We got together on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The last time Leeds United lost four straight consecutive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their campaign ended with relegation

However, while Farke said that "our main emotion is frustration", their second-half display offered enough evidence to suggest they are capable of arresting their current form and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us plenty of confidence. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to win the points," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence before the game, during the game and following the encounter. Otherwise you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have strong unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been far from easy in this second period"

"Leeds United can take a lot from this display with the manner they have performed in this second half"

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs"

"It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but City discovered a measure of quality. They escaped with one this evening"