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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their top-flight fixture at Etihad Stadium

Leeds got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead before the interval

Second Period Comeback Thwarted

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

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the touchline and deliver fresh instructions in the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution"

Coach's Frustration

"I ask the fourth official at this moment if you want to take action. Our hands are tied"

"If we don't teach our footballers in the game what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and everything and if we simply try to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain"

Late Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight matches to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored less top-flight goals this season

Strategic Changes

Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of adventure particularly around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous choice at the interval that nearly turned around their situation

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players

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

"We genuinely struggled to get hold of the game. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to get things right"

Positive Signs for Leeds United

The last time Leeds United suffered four straight consecutive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding feeling is frustration", their second-half performance provided enough proof to indicate they are capable of halting their present form and climbing back up the table

"Displaying such a performance should give us plenty of belief. 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 match, during the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room"

Pundit Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"

"Leeds can derive a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second half"

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often questioned for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the City defenders"

"It looked like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds United's season, but City discovered a measure of quality. They escaped with one this evening"