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

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead before the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Denied

However, the visitors rallied after the interval after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

And with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense 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 Frustration

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

"If we don't educate our players in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually 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 within the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight strikes this season

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around changes, was nearly rewarded for a courageous choice at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in control. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the formation a little bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the game. We got together on the side of the field and changed a few things and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds United lost four straight successive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with relegation

However, while Farke said that "their overriding feeling is frustration", their second period display provided sufficient evidence to suggest they are able of arresting their current run and climbing back up the standings

"Displaying such a display should provide us plenty of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent chance to earn the points," Farke added

"We had the confidence before the match, throughout the fixture and following the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"

"Leeds United can derive a lot from this performance with the manner they have performed in this second period"

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

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