🔗 Share this article Manchester City Alleged of Rule-Bending in Narrow Win Against Leeds United - Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke believed Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an injury during the second period of their top-flight clash Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" during their Premier League match at the Etihad The visitors made the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead before the interval Second Period Comeback Denied However, Leeds fought back following the break after a change of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart And with Manchester City visibly struggling to cope with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the sideline and deliver new instructions in the two minutes the game was halted for "Everyone understands why he went down," Farke stated "This isn't the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is smart. If I approve? If it's in line with the sense of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution" Manager's Disappointment "I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we educate our players in the game what to do in regards of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we simply attempt to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury in an attempt to do an extra team talk, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain" Stoppage-Time Winner Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight matches to leave them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only bottom club Wolves having notched fewer Premier League strikes this term Strategic Adjustments However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure especially around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a courageous choice at the interval that nearly turned around their fortunes Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize following Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players "During the break we were in command. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put a pair up top and altered the setup a bit," said Phil Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the edge of the field and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was crucial to make corrections" Encouraging Signs for Leeds United The most recent occasion Leeds lost four straight consecutive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with relegation However, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding feeling is frustration", their second period display provided sufficient proof to suggest they are capable of arresting their current run and climbing back up the standings "Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a great chance to win the points," the manager added "We had the confidence before the match, throughout the fixture and following the encounter. Otherwise you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room" Pundit Opinion Speaking on radio analysis, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been far from easy in this second half" "Leeds United can derive a lot from this performance with the way they have performed in this second period" "Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, 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 looked like it could be a huge turning point in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City discovered a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this evening"