🔗 Share this article Manchester City Alleged of Rule-Bending in Narrow Victory Over Leeds United - Farke Leeds United boss Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an knock during the second half of their Premier League encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break Second-Half Revival Denied However, Leeds rallied following the break following a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately following the resumption Furthermore with City clearly struggling to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and deliver new instructions in the two minutes the game was stopped for "Everybody knows 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 rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the authorities to determine a resolution" Coach's Disappointment "I ask the fourth official at this point if you wish to take action. Our options are limited" "If we don't teach our footballers in football what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules and even do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive loss in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched less top-flight goals this term Strategic Adjustments Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of adventure especially around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that almost reversed their situation Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, said that his team were only able to reorganize after Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad "During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair up top and altered the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden "We really struggled 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 crucial to make corrections" Positive Signs for Leeds The most recent time Leeds lost four straight successive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with demotion Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke said that "our overriding emotion is frustration", their second period display provided sufficient evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their present form and climbing back up the standings "Displaying such a performance should give us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a excellent chance to earn the results," the manager continued "We had the confidence prior to the game, throughout the game and after the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the dressing room" Expert Opinion Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward win for 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 performed in this second period" "Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City defenders" "It appeared like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but City discovered a bit of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"