🔗 Share this article

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their Premier League fixture at the Etihad

Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring inside the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage ahead of the interval

Second Period Revival Thwarted

Nevertheless, the visitors rallied after the interval after a adjustment of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately following the resumption

Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the changes 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 issue new instructions in the 120 seconds the game was stopped for

"Everyone understands why he went down," Farke commented

"It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? 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 educate our footballers in football what to do in regards of fair play and fair play and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team talk, it is not what I approve of myself. But if it is within the rules I can't complain"

Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal

Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League goals this season

Strategic Changes

However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around changes, was nearly rewarded for a courageous choice at the half-time that nearly turned around their fortunes

Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only capable to reorganize following Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad

"During the break we were in command. Second half they came out, harried us a lot higher, they put two up top and changed the setup a little bit," commented Foden

"We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and adjusted a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections"

Encouraging Aspects for Leeds

The most recent occasion Leeds suffered four consecutive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season concluded with demotion

However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is disappointment", their second period performance provided sufficient proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their current run and moving up the table

"To show such a performance should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the results," Farke continued

"We possessed the confidence before the match, throughout the game and after the encounter. Or else you can't respond with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room"

Expert Opinion

Commenting on radio analysis, former Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody expected it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been far from easy 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 often 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 could be a massive turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but Manchester City found a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"