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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead before the interval

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

However, the visitors rallied after the break following a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the resumption

Furthermore with City clearly struggling to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue fresh directions during the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to find a solution"

Manager's Frustration

"I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you want to take action. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we teach our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's injury-time winner sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight goals this season

Strategic Changes

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a bold decision at the interval that nearly reversed their situation

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his team were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his players

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put two in attack and altered the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The last occasion Leeds lost four straight successive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion

However, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half display offered enough proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their present run and moving up the standings

"Displaying such a performance should give us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to win the results," the manager added

"We had the belief before the game, throughout the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Expert Analysis

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable victory for City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second half"

"Leeds 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 frequently questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City defenders"

"It looked like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but City found a bit of quality. They escaped with one this evening"