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Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their top-flight fixture at the Etihad

The visitors got off to the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

However, the visitors fought back following the interval following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart

Furthermore with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get treatment, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and deliver new instructions in the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated

"This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to find a solution"

Coach's Disappointment

"I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to do something. Our hands are tied"

"Unless we teach our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just attempt to bend the rules and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League strikes this term

Tactical Changes

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

Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his side were only capable to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players

"At half-time we were in control. Second half they came out, harried us a lot higher, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a bit," said Foden

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the game. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds suffered four straight successive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their season ended with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "our overriding emotion is disappointment", their second-half display provided enough proof to indicate they are able of halting their current run and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a display should give us plenty of confidence. If we show such determination and unity we have a great chance to earn the results," Farke added

"We possessed the confidence before the match, during the game and following the encounter. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second period"

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the City centre-backs"

"It looked like it could be a huge pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but City found a bit of quality. They escaped with one this evening"