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

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead before the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

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

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the touchline and issue new instructions in the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to find a solution"

Manager's Disappointment

"I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to do something. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having scored less Premier League strikes this term

Strategic Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around substitutions, was nearly vindicated for a bold decision at the half-time that almost turned around their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize following Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"During the break we were in control. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they put two up top and altered the formation a little bit," said Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds suffered four straight successive Premier League matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign ended with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke said that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance provided enough proof to suggest they are capable of halting their current run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager added

"We possessed the confidence prior to the game, during the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward 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 played in this second half"

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the City defenders"

"It looked like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds United's season, but City discovered a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this evening"