🔗 Share this article Man City Accused of Rule-Bending in Tight Victory Over Leeds - Daniel Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke felt Manchester City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an knock in the second half of their top-flight encounter Leeds United manager Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium The visitors 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 ahead of the interval Second-Half Comeback Denied However, the visitors fought back following the interval after a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the resumption Furthermore with City visibly struggling to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the two minutes the game was stopped for "Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke commented "This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies 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" "Unless we educate our players in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having scored fewer top-flight strikes this term Tactical Adjustments However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was almost rewarded for a bold choice at the half-time that nearly turned around their fortunes Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his team were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad "At half-time we were in command. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put two up top and changed the setup a bit," said Phil Foden "We really had difficulty to gain control of the game. We got together on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections" Positive Signs for Leeds The last time Leeds lost four straight successive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with demotion Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke stated that "our overriding emotion is disappointment", their second period performance provided enough proof to indicate they are capable of halting their present run and climbing up the table "To show such a display should provide us plenty of belief. If we show such spirit and togetherness we have a great opportunity to earn the points," Farke added "We had the confidence prior to the game, throughout the game and after the game. Or else you can't respond with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room" Expert Analysis Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone expected it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half" "Leeds United can derive a lot from this performance with the way they have played in this second period" "Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often questioned for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City centre-backs" "It appeared like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City discovered a bit of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"