🔗 Share this article Man City Alleged of Rule-Bending in Narrow Victory Against Leeds - Farke Leeds boss Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an knock during the second period of their Premier League encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium Leeds made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden finding the net within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage before the half-time break Second Period Revival Thwarted Nevertheless, the visitors rallied after the break following a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the 120 seconds play was stopped for "Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke stated "It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is smart. If I like it? 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 solution" Coach's Disappointment "I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we educate our players in football what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we simply attempt to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Late Deciding Goal Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds 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 strikes this season Tactical Changes However, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost reversed their situation Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only able to regroup following Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad "At half-time we were in control. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the formation a bit," said Phil Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the pitch and changed a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United The most recent occasion Leeds United lost four straight successive Premier League matches was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke stated that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second-half performance offered enough proof to suggest they are capable of halting their present run and moving back up the table "To show such a display should give us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a excellent chance to earn the results," the manager added "We possessed the belief prior to the game, throughout the game and after the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room" Expert Opinion Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half" "Leeds can take a lot from this performance with the way they have performed in this second half" "Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the City centre-backs" "It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds United's campaign, but City found a bit of quality. They escaped with one this evening"