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Leeds manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage ahead of the interval

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

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

And with Manchester City visibly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and deliver new instructions during the two minutes the game was halted for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke stated

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

Manager's Frustration

"I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you wish to take action. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we teach our players in the game what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we simply try to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in order to do an additional 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 stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight goals this term

Tactical Adjustments

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly reversed their fortunes

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his side were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"At half-time we were in control. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot higher, they deployed two in attack and altered the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Positive Aspects for Leeds

The last time Leeds United suffered four consecutive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion

Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period display offered enough evidence to suggest they are capable of arresting their current run and climbing up the table

"Displaying such a performance should give us lots of confidence. If we show such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the points," Farke continued

"We had the confidence prior to the game, throughout the fixture and after the game. Or else you can't respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room"

Expert Analysis

Speaking on radio analysis, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"

"Leeds United 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 frequently criticised 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 might be a massive turning point in Leeds' season, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this evening"