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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium

The visitors got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' advantage ahead of the interval

Second-Half Revival Denied

However, the visitors rallied following the interval following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the restart

And with City clearly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and deliver new instructions in the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I ask the fourth official at this point if you wish to do something. Our options are limited"

"Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Late Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched less Premier League goals this season

Strategic Adjustments

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that almost turned around their situation

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his team were only capable to regroup following Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

"At half-time we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two up top and changed the setup a bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the match. We assembled on the side of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Positive Aspects for Leeds United

The last time Leeds United suffered four straight consecutive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion

However, while Farke stated that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance provided enough proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their current run and moving up the standings

"Displaying such a display should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to earn the results," the manager added

"We had the confidence prior to the match, during the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

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

"Leeds can take a lot from this display with the manner they have played 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 Manchester City centre-backs"

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