🔗 Share this article Man City Accused of Gamesmanship in Narrow Win Against Leeds United - Farke Leeds United manager Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an knock during the second period of their top-flight clash Leeds head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during 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 doubled the home side's advantage ahead of the interval Second-Half Comeback Denied Nevertheless, the visitors fought back following the break after a change of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the resumption Furthermore with City visibly struggling to cope with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and issue fresh instructions in the 120 seconds play was halted for "Everybody understands why he collapsed," Farke commented "This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was clear. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is smart. If I approve? 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 find a solution" Coach's Frustration "I ask the fourth official at this moment if you want to do something. Our hands are tied" "If we don't teach our footballers in football what to do in regards of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and whatever and if we simply attempt to exploit regulations and even do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the regulations I can't complain" Late Deciding Goal Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner sent Leeds United to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League matches to place them eighteenth in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having scored fewer Premier League strikes this season Strategic Adjustments Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that nearly turned around their situation 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 control. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and changed the setup a little bit," said Phil Foden "We really struggled to get hold of the match. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a few things and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to make corrections" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds United The most recent time Leeds suffered four straight successive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with demotion Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period display provided sufficient evidence to suggest they are capable of halting their present run and moving back up the standings "Displaying such a display should give us plenty of confidence. If we show such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to win the results," Farke added "We had the confidence prior to the match, during the fixture and following the game. Or else you can't respond with a showing like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the locker room" Expert Analysis Speaking on radio analysis, ex- Scottish club attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everybody expected it to be a comfortable win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second period" "Leeds can take a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second period" "Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the Manchester City centre-backs" "It appeared like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but City discovered a bit of quality. They escaped with one this afternoon"