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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium

The visitors got off to the poorest beginning with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the interval

Second-Half Comeback Denied

Nevertheless, Leeds rallied after the break after a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart

And with Manchester City clearly struggling to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and issue new directions during the two minutes the game was stopped for

"Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke stated

"It is not 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 like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Manager's Frustration

"I questioned the fourth official at this moment if you want to take action. Our hands are tied"

"If we don't teach our players in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

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

Tactical Changes

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a bold choice at the interval that almost reversed their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only able to regroup following Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two up top and altered the setup a little bit," commented Phil Foden

"We really had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United

The most recent occasion Leeds lost four successive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with demotion

Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second-half display offered sufficient evidence to suggest they are able of halting their current run and climbing up the standings

"To show such a performance should give us lots of confidence. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager continued

"We had the confidence prior to the match, during the game and after the encounter. Otherwise you can't come back with a performance like that. We have strong unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs"

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