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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their top-flight fixture at the Etihad

Leeds made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

Nevertheless, Leeds fought back after the interval after a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the restart

And with Manchester City clearly struggling to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue new directions during the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of fair play? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

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

"Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules and actually do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored fewer top-flight goals this season

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only able to regroup after Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

"During the break we were in control. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and changed the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the field and changed a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The last time Leeds United lost four successive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

However, while Farke said that "our main emotion is frustration", their second period display offered sufficient proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their current run and climbing up the standings

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of belief. If we show such determination and unity we have a excellent opportunity to win the results," Farke added

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

Expert Opinion

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half"

"Leeds can derive a lot from this performance with the manner they have performed 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 physically challenged the Manchester City defenders"

"It looked 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"