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

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage before the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

However, Leeds fought back following the break after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the resumption

And with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the touchline and issue new instructions in the two minutes play was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is smart. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to find a solution"

Coach's Frustration

"I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to do something. Our options are limited"

"If we don't educate our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply try to bend the rules 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 within the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's injury-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having scored less Premier League strikes this term

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost reversed their fortunes

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

"At half-time we were in control. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and altered the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it improved from there. That little break was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

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

However, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period display offered enough evidence to suggest they are capable of arresting their present form and moving back up the table

"Displaying such a display should give us lots of belief. If we show such spirit and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the points," the manager added

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

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Scottish club forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often criticised 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 could be a massive turning point in Leeds' season, but Manchester City found a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"