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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their top-flight fixture at Etihad Stadium

The visitors made the poorest beginning 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 Revival Denied

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

Furthermore with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue new instructions during the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is smart. If I like it? If it's within the spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a resolution"

Manager's Frustration

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

"Unless we educate our players in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we simply try to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having notched less Premier League strikes this season

Tactical Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of boldness especially around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a bold choice at the interval that nearly reversed their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his side were only able to regroup following Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his players

"At half-time we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and altered the setup a bit," commented Foden

"We really struggled to get hold of the game. We got together on the edge of the field and changed a few things and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The last occasion Leeds United suffered four straight successive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their campaign ended with relegation

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second period performance provided sufficient evidence to indicate they are able of halting their present run and moving back up the standings

"Displaying such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a great chance to earn the results," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence prior to the match, throughout the fixture and after the game. Or else you can't come back with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second period"

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

"Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It appeared like it might be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but City found a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this evening"