🔗 Share this article Manchester City Accused of Rule-Bending in Narrow Win Over Leeds - Daniel Farke Leeds boss Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an knock in the second period of their Premier League encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead before the interval Second Period Comeback Thwarted However, the visitors fought back after the break after a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away following the resumption And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and deliver new directions in the two minutes the game was halted for "Everyone understands why he collapsed," Farke commented "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 clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to determine a resolution" Manager's Disappointment "I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we teach our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in order to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Winner Phil Foden's injury-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched less Premier League goals this term Tactical Adjustments Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around changes, was nearly rewarded for a courageous choice at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players "During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two up top and changed the formation a little bit," said Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the game. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United The most recent time Leeds United lost four straight consecutive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with relegation However, while Farke said that "their main emotion is frustration", their second-half performance provided sufficient proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their current run and climbing back up the standings "To show such a display should provide us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to win the results," Farke continued "We had the confidence prior to the game, during the game and after the game. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room" Expert Analysis Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period" "Leeds United can take a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second period" "Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the City defenders" "It appeared like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City discovered a measure of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"