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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" in their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium

The visitors got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

However, Leeds fought back following the interval after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the restart

And with City visibly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and issue new instructions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of 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 keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to find a solution"

Manager's Frustration

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

"Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we just try to bend the rules and even do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's stoppage-time winner sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having scored fewer top-flight goals this term

Tactical Adjustments

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of boldness particularly around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

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

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the game. We assembled on the edge of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds lost four straight successive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion

However, while Farke said that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second period performance offered enough evidence to indicate they are capable of halting their present form and climbing up the table

"Displaying such a display should give us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a great chance to earn the points," Farke added

"We possessed the belief prior to the game, during the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second half"

"Leeds can derive a lot from this performance with the way they have played in this second half"

"Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

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