🔗 Share this article Man City Alleged of Gamesmanship in Narrow Victory Over Leeds - Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke believed Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an injury in the second period of their Premier League encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium Leeds made 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 Period Revival Denied Nevertheless, Leeds rallied after the interval after a change of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the resumption Furthermore with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and deliver new instructions in the 120 seconds play was stopped for "Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke commented "It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the spirit of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution" Coach's Disappointment "I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to do something. Our hands are tied" "Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules 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 within the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Winner Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer top-flight strikes this term Tactical Changes Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around changes, was nearly vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his side were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players "During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put two up top and altered the formation a little bit," said Foden "We really 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 little break was crucial to get things right" Positive Aspects for Leeds United The last time Leeds United suffered four straight successive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with demotion However, while Farke stated that "our overriding feeling is frustration", their second-half display provided enough evidence to suggest they are able of halting their current run and moving back up the standings "Displaying such a performance should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager added "We had the belief before the game, throughout the fixture and following the encounter. Otherwise you can't come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the dressing room" Expert Opinion Speaking on radio analysis, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half" "Leeds can derive a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second half" "Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders" "It looked like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds' season, but Manchester City found a measure of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"