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Leeds head coach Daniel Farke claimed City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage ahead of the half-time break

Second-Half Revival Thwarted

However, Leeds rallied after the interval following a adjustment of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the restart

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to cope with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and deliver new directions during the 120 seconds the game was halted for

"Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke commented

"It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is smart. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to find a resolution"

Coach's Frustration

"I questioned the assistant referee at this moment if you want to take action. Our options are limited"

"Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in regards of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an additional team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the regulations I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Winner

Phil Foden's injury-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth consecutive loss in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolves having notched less top-flight goals this term

Strategic Changes

Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of boldness especially around changes, was nearly vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes

Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, stated that his side were only able to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they put a pair in attack and changed the formation a little bit," said Phil Foden

"We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Positive Signs for Leeds United

The most recent time Leeds lost four successive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign concluded with demotion

Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke stated that "our main emotion is disappointment", their second-half performance provided sufficient evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their present run and climbing up the standings

"Displaying such a display should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a great chance to earn the results," Farke added

"We had the belief prior to the match, throughout the fixture and after the game. Or else you can't respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and determination in the dressing room"

Expert Analysis

Speaking on radio analysis, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everyone anticipated it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second period"

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

"Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently questioned for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City defenders"

"It appeared like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a bit of brilliance. They got away with one this evening"