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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester 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 opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

However, Leeds rallied following the interval following a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the restart

Furthermore with City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue new directions during the two minutes play was halted for

"Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the governing bodies to determine a solution"

Manager's Frustration

"I questioned the fourth official at this moment if you wish to take action. Our options are limited"

"If we don't educate our players in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolves having notched less Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around changes, was almost vindicated for a bold choice at the interval that nearly turned around their situation

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize following Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in command. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they put two in attack and altered the setup a little bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"

Positive Aspects for Leeds United

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

However, while Farke said that "our overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half performance provided sufficient proof to suggest they are capable of halting their present run and moving up the table

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

"We possessed the confidence prior to the match, throughout the game and following the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have strong unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"

"Leeds can derive a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second half"

"Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently questioned for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City defenders"

"It appeared like it could be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a bit of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"