🔗 Share this article Man City Accused of Rule-Bending in Narrow Win Over Leeds United - Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke believed Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an knock during the second half of their Premier League clash Leeds manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad Leeds made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden finding the net inside the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage ahead of the interval Second Period Revival Denied Nevertheless, the visitors fought back after the interval after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away following the restart Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue fresh directions during the two minutes the game was stopped for "Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke stated "This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution" Manager's Frustration "I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you want to take action. Our hands are tied" "If we don't teach our footballers in football what to do in regards of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply attempt to bend the rules and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like personally. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Winner Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored fewer top-flight goals this term Tactical Changes However, Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of adventure particularly around substitutions, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that almost turned around their situation Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only able to regroup after Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players "During the break we were in command. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they put a pair in attack and altered the formation a little bit," said Foden "We genuinely struggled to get hold of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a few things and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to get things right" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United The last occasion Leeds suffered four straight successive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion However, while Farke said that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second period performance provided sufficient evidence to indicate they are capable of arresting their present form and climbing back up the standings "To show such a performance should give us plenty of belief. If we show such spirit and unity we have a excellent opportunity to win the results," the manager continued "We possessed the belief before the game, during the fixture and after the game. Otherwise you can't come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the dressing room" Expert Opinion Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second half" "Leeds United can derive a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second half" "Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often questioned for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City defenders" "It looked like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City discovered a bit of quality. They escaped with one this evening"