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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium

Leeds made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Denied

Nevertheless, Leeds rallied following the interval after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the resumption

And with Manchester City visibly struggling to deal with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the touchline and issue fresh instructions in the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down 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 ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a solution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"Unless we educate our players in the game what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules 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"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored fewer top-flight goals this season

Strategic Adjustments

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a bold decision at the half-time that nearly reversed their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his side were only able to reorganize following Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they came out, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and altered the formation a little bit," commented Phil Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the game. We assembled on the edge of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds United suffered four consecutive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second-half display offered sufficient evidence to indicate they are capable of arresting their present run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should give us lots of confidence. If we show such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to win the points," Farke continued

"We possessed the confidence prior to the game, throughout the fixture and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have strong unity and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Analysis

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

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City centre-backs"

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