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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium

The visitors made the poorest 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-Half Comeback Denied

Nevertheless, the visitors fought back following the break following a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart

And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and deliver new directions in the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke stated

"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 smart. If I approve? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

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

"If we don't teach our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight matches to place them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having scored less Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Adjustments

However, 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 nearly turned around their fortunes

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his side were only capable to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players

"During the break we were in control. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the setup a little bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the game. We assembled on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Signs for Leeds

The most recent time Leeds lost four successive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke stated that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second period performance offered enough evidence to suggest they are able of arresting their present form and climbing up the standings

"To show such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a great opportunity to earn the results," the manager continued

"We had the confidence prior to the game, throughout the fixture and following the game. Otherwise you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Analysis

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second period"

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

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

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