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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their Premier League match at the Etihad

Leeds made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden finding the net within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second Period Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back after the interval after a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and deliver fresh instructions during the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a solution"

Manager's Frustration

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

"Unless we teach our players in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we simply try to bend the rules and actually do a simulated knock 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

Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League matches to leave them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight goals this term

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that nearly turned around their situation

Talking to television pundits, Foden, said that his side were only capable to regroup after Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his players

"During the break we were in control. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and changed the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds United suffered four successive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with demotion

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "our main feeling is frustration", their second period performance offered sufficient evidence to suggest they are capable of halting their current run and climbing up the standings

"To show such a performance should give us plenty of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to earn the points," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence prior to the game, throughout the game and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

Speaking 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 can take a lot from this display with the way they have performed in this second period"

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs"

"It appeared like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds' season, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"