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

Leeds got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

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

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

"Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within the spirit of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution"

Coach's Frustration

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

"Unless we teach our players in the game what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to place them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having scored fewer Premier League strikes this season

Strategic Adjustments

However, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness especially around changes, was nearly vindicated for a bold choice at the half-time that nearly turned around their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair up top and changed the setup a bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the match. We got together on the edge of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Positive Signs for Leeds

The last occasion Leeds suffered four straight consecutive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with relegation

Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second-half display provided enough evidence to suggest they are able of halting their present run and climbing up the table

"To show such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to earn the results," the manager continued

"We possessed the confidence before the match, throughout the fixture and following the encounter. Or else you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second half"

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

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

"It appeared like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' season, but Manchester City discovered a bit of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"