🔗 Share this article Man City Accused of Gamesmanship in Tight Victory Against Leeds - Daniel Farke Leeds United boss Daniel Farke believed Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an injury in the second half of their top-flight encounter Leeds manager Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" during their Premier League match at the Etihad Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the interval Second Period Comeback Thwarted However, the visitors rallied after the interval after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the resumption Furthermore with City clearly struggling to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to get attention, allowing manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and issue fresh directions in the two minutes play was halted for "Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke stated "It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? 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 governing bodies to determine a resolution" Manager's Disappointment "I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we educate our footballers in the game what to do in regards of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is within the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Winner Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight fixtures to place them eighteenth in the division, with only last-placed Wolves having scored fewer top-flight goals this term Strategic Changes However, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold choice at the interval that nearly reversed their situation Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his side were only capable to regroup after Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players "During the break we were in command. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and altered the formation a little bit," said Foden "We really had difficulty to get hold of the game. We got together on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections" Positive Signs for Leeds The most recent time Leeds United lost four straight successive Premier League matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with relegation However, while Farke said that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half display offered enough evidence to suggest they are capable of arresting their present form and climbing back up the table "Displaying such a display should provide us lots of belief. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a great chance to win the points," Farke continued "We had the belief before the match, throughout the game and following the encounter. Otherwise you can't respond with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room" Pundit Analysis Speaking on radio analysis, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward victory for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second period" "Leeds United can derive a lot from this performance with the way they have performed in this second half" "Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is often questioned for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the Manchester City centre-backs" "It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds United's season, but City discovered a bit of brilliance. They got away with one this evening"