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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight fixture at the Etihad

The visitors got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead before the interval

Second Period Revival Denied

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back following the break after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the touchline and deliver new directions in the two minutes play was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was clear. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. If I approve? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a solution"

Coach's Frustration

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

"If we don't educate our players in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we just try to exploit regulations 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 allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth loss in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight strikes this term

Tactical Changes

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of adventure especially around changes, was nearly vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two up top and changed the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We really had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Positive Signs for Leeds United

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

However, while Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance offered enough proof to indicate they are capable of halting their current form and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a display should give us plenty of belief. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager added

"We possessed the belief before the match, throughout the game and after the game. Otherwise you can't respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for Manchester City, but it has been far from easy in this second half"

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

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

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