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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage before the half-time break

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

However, Leeds fought back after the interval after a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away following the restart

And with City visibly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue new instructions in the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the authorities to find a resolution"

Coach's Disappointment

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

"Unless we teach our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we just try to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored fewer Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a bold decision at the half-time that almost turned around their situation

Talking to television pundits, Foden, said that his team were only capable to regroup following Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair in attack and changed the formation a little bit," said Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a few things and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to get things right"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds suffered four consecutive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period display offered sufficient evidence to suggest they are capable of halting their current run and moving back up the table

"To show such a performance should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to earn the points," Farke added

"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 strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Analysis

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

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often questioned for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City centre-backs"

"It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but Manchester City found a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this evening"