🔗 Share this article Manchester City Accused of Gamesmanship in Narrow Win Against Leeds - Farke Leeds United boss Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an knock in the second half of their top-flight encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" in their top-flight match at the Etihad The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' lead ahead of the interval Second-Half Revival Denied Nevertheless, Leeds fought back following the break after a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away after the resumption And with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the sideline and issue new directions in the 120 seconds play was halted for "Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke commented "This isn't the obvious issue. Why he went down it was clear. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? 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 authorities to determine a solution" Coach's Frustration "I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you wish to do something. Our options are limited" "Unless we educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules 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 allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Late Winner Phil Foden's injury-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League goals this season Tactical Changes However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of adventure particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold choice at the half-time that nearly turned around their situation Speaking to television pundits, Foden, said that his side were only capable to reorganize after Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad "During the break we were in control. Second half they emerged, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden "We really struggled to gain control of the game. We assembled on the side of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections" Positive Aspects for Leeds The most recent time Leeds United lost four straight successive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their season ended with relegation Nevertheless, while Farke said that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period performance offered sufficient proof to indicate they are able of arresting their current form and moving up the standings "To show such a performance should give us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent chance to earn the points," the manager continued "We had the confidence before the game, during the fixture and after the encounter. Otherwise you cannot respond with a showing like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room" Pundit Analysis Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period" "Leeds United can derive a lot from this display with the manner they have performed in this second period" "Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City centre-backs" "It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City discovered a bit of quality. They got away with one this evening"