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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their Premier League match 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' advantage before the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

Nevertheless, the visitors rallied after the break after a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the resumption

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and issue new directions during the two minutes the game was stopped for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

"I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to do something. Our options are limited"

"Unless we teach our players in the game what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having notched fewer Premier League goals this season

Tactical Adjustments

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of boldness especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the interval that almost reversed their situation

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his side were only able to regroup after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"At half-time we were in control. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put two in attack and altered the setup a bit," said Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

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

However, while Farke said that "our main emotion is frustration", their second-half performance provided sufficient evidence to indicate they are capable of arresting their current form and moving up the table

"To show such a performance should give us plenty of belief. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a great chance to win the points," the manager added

"We had the confidence before the game, during the fixture and following the game. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have strong unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

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 easy in this second half"

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

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

"It appeared like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a measure of quality. They got away with one this evening"