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Leeds manager Daniel Farke claimed City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their top-flight match at the Etihad

The visitors got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage ahead of the interval

Second-Half Revival Denied

Nevertheless, Leeds rallied following the interval following a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart

And with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and deliver new directions during the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to find a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

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

"Unless we educate our players in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply try to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury 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 sent Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched less Premier League strikes this season

Tactical Changes

However, Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness particularly around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"At half-time we were in control. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the match. 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"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The last time Leeds United suffered four successive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion

However, while Farke stated that "our main emotion is frustration", their second-half display provided sufficient proof to indicate they are able of arresting their current run and moving up the standings

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of belief. If we show such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the points," the manager continued

"We had the confidence prior to the match, throughout the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a comfortable victory for City, but it has been far from easy in this second half"

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

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

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