🔗 Share this article Man City Accused of Rule-Bending in Narrow Win Against Leeds - Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke believed Manchester City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an injury in the second period of their Premier League clash Leeds manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at the Etihad Leeds made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead before the half-time break Second Period Comeback Denied However, the visitors rallied following the interval following a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the resumption Furthermore with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue fresh directions in 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 clear. 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 authorities to find a resolution" Manager's Frustration "I questioned the fourth official at this moment if you wish to do something. Our options are limited" "If we don't teach our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain" Late Deciding Goal Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight matches to place them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored less top-flight strikes this term Tactical Adjustments Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous choice at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his side were only able to regroup after Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players "During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two in attack and changed the setup a little bit," said Phil Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the game. We got together on the edge of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United The most recent occasion Leeds lost four straight successive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with demotion Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "our main feeling is frustration", their second-half performance offered enough proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their present form and climbing back up the standings "To show such a performance should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a excellent opportunity to win the results," Farke added "We had the confidence prior to the match, during the fixture and after the game. Or else you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room" Pundit Opinion Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second half" "Leeds can take a lot from this display with the manner they have played in this second half" "Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs" "It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City found a bit of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"