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Leeds manager Daniel Farke claimed City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League fixture at Etihad Stadium

The visitors made the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage before the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

However, the visitors rallied following the interval following a change of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the restart

Furthermore with City clearly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue fresh instructions in the 120 seconds play was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution"

Coach's Frustration

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

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

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League matches to leave them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolves having scored fewer Premier League strikes this season

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around changes, was nearly rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that nearly reversed their fortunes

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his team were only able to regroup after Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they put a pair in attack and changed the setup a bit," said Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Positive Signs for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds lost four straight consecutive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "our main feeling is frustration", their second-half display offered sufficient proof to suggest they are capable of halting their current run and moving up the table

"Displaying such a performance should give us plenty of belief. If we show such spirit and unity we have a excellent opportunity to earn the results," Farke continued

"We possessed the belief prior to the match, throughout the fixture and following the game. Or else you can't come back with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second half"

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

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

"It looked like it might be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but City found a measure of quality. They got away with one this evening"