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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium

Leeds got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

However, Leeds rallied following the break after a adjustment of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the resumption

Furthermore with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and deliver new instructions during the two minutes play was halted for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the rules. It is smart. 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 governing bodies to find a solution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to bend the rules and even do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolves having notched less top-flight strikes this term

Strategic Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly turned around their situation

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his side were only able to regroup following Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"At half-time we were in control. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We really had difficulty to get hold of the game. We assembled on the side of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds suffered four straight consecutive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

However, while Farke stated that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second period display offered enough evidence to indicate they are able of halting their current run and moving up the standings

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

"We had the belief prior to the game, during the game and after the game. Or else you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward win 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 played in this second period"

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City centre-backs"

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