Leeds boss Daniel Farke believed Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an injury during the second period of their top-flight encounter
Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium
Leeds got off to the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage before the half-time break
However, the visitors fought back after the break following a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the resumption
Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue new instructions in the two minutes the game was stopped for
"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented
"This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? 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 determine a resolution"
"I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to take action. Our options are limited"
"Unless we teach our players in football what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and everything and if we simply try to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint"
Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched less Premier League strikes this season
However, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure especially around changes, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly reversed their situation
Talking to television pundits, Foden, said that his side were only capable to regroup after Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players
"During the break we were in control. Second half they came out, harried us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two in attack and altered the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden
"We really had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections"
The last time Leeds suffered four successive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion
However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their main emotion is disappointment", their second period performance provided enough proof to indicate they are capable of halting their present run and moving back up the table
"Displaying such a performance should give us plenty of belief. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a great chance to win the results," Farke added
"We possessed the confidence before the game, throughout the game and after the game. Or else you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room"
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Scottish club forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period"
"Leeds 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 often questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the Manchester City centre-backs"
"It appeared like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City found a bit of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"
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