🔗 Share this article

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead before the interval

Second-Half Comeback Thwarted

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

And with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue new directions in the 120 seconds play was halted for

"Everyone knows why he went down," Farke stated

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a resolution"

Manager's Disappointment

"I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to do something. Our hands are tied"

"If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and everything and if we just try to bend the rules and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an additional team talk, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the rules I have no grounds for complaint"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League goals this season

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a courageous choice at the half-time that nearly turned around their situation

Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad

"During the break we were in control. After halftime they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two up top and changed the setup a little bit," commented 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 little break was crucial to make corrections"

Positive Aspects for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds United lost four straight consecutive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with demotion

However, while Farke stated that "our overriding emotion is frustration", their second period performance offered enough evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their present form and climbing up the standings

"Displaying such a performance should give us lots of confidence. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent chance to win the points," the manager added

"We possessed the confidence prior to the match, throughout the fixture and following the game. Or else you cannot come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the dressing room"

Expert Opinion

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period"

"Leeds can derive a lot from this performance with the manner they have performed in this second period"

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs"

"It looked like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"