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

Leeds made the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage before the interval

Second Period Revival Denied

However, the visitors rallied following the break following a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue new instructions during the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? 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 solution"

Coach's Frustration

"I questioned the fourth official at this moment if you wish to take action. Our options are limited"

"Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight matches to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched less top-flight strikes this season

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly turned around their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his side were only capable to regroup after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"At half-time we were in control. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the match. We assembled on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was crucial to get things right"

Positive Signs for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds suffered four straight successive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with demotion

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second-half performance offered enough proof to suggest they are able of arresting their current run and climbing up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a excellent opportunity to win the results," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence prior to the match, during the game and after the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Speaking on radio analysis, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable 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 criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It looked like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"