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

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead before the interval

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

However, the visitors rallied after the interval following a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately after the restart

And with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and deliver new directions during the two minutes the game was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke commented

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is smart. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies 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 everything and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain"

Late Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven Premier League matches to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having scored fewer Premier League strikes this season

Strategic Adjustments

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

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his team were only able to regroup following Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in command. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and altered the setup a bit," said Phil Foden

"We really struggled to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Positive Signs for Leeds

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

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is disappointment", their second period performance provided sufficient proof to indicate they are able of halting their current run and climbing back up the table

"To show such a performance should give us plenty of confidence. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to win the points," Farke continued

"We had the belief prior to the match, during the game and following the game. Or else you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period"

"Leeds United can take a lot from this performance with the way they have played in this second half"

"Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City centre-backs"

"It appeared like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City discovered a measure of quality. They got away with one this evening"