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

The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

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

And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and deliver new instructions during the two minutes the game was stopped for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I ask the fourth official at this moment if you want to do something. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just attempt to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Late Winner

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having scored fewer top-flight goals this season

Tactical Changes

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

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his side were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"During the break we were in command. Second half they came out, harried us a lot higher, they put a pair in attack and changed the setup a bit," said Foden

"We really struggled to get hold of the match. We got together on the side of the field and changed a few things and it improved from there. That little break was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The last time Leeds lost four straight successive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with demotion

However, while Farke said that "our overriding emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance offered sufficient evidence to suggest they are able of halting their present run and moving back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should give us plenty of confidence. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent chance to earn the results," Farke added

"We had the confidence before the match, during the game and following the encounter. Or else you can't respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and determination in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second period"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, 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 looked like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but Manchester City discovered a measure of quality. They got away with one this evening"