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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight fixture at Etihad Stadium

Leeds got off to 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-Half Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back following the break following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the resumption

And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and deliver fresh directions in the 120 seconds play was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within 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 reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to find a resolution"

Coach's Frustration

"I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to take action. Our options are limited"

"If we don't educate our players in the game what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and everything and if we just 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 like myself. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

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

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only able to regroup after Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in command. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed two up top and changed the formation a little bit," said Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

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

However, while Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second period performance offered enough proof to indicate they are capable of arresting their current run and moving up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager added

"We possessed the confidence before the game, throughout the game and after the encounter. Or else you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Speaking on radio analysis, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone anticipated it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second half"

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

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

"It looked like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds' season, but City discovered a bit of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"