🔗 Share this article Man City Alleged of Gamesmanship in Tight Win Against Leeds United - Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke felt Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an knock in the second half of their top-flight clash Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight fixture at Etihad Stadium Leeds got off to the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's lead ahead of the interval Second Period Comeback Denied However, Leeds rallied after the break after a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the resumption Furthermore with Manchester City clearly having difficulty to deal with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to receive attention, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue new directions in the two minutes play was stopped for "Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke stated "This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the regulations. It is clever. If I approve? If it's in line with the spirit of fair play? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a resolution" Manager's Disappointment "I ask the assistant referee at this moment if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we teach 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 actually do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is within the regulations I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time 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 last-placed Wolves having scored less Premier League goals this season Strategic Adjustments Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of adventure especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that almost turned around their fortunes Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his team were only capable to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad "At half-time we were in control. After halftime they emerged, pressed us a lot higher, they put two in attack and changed the setup a bit," commented Phil Foden "We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to get things right" Positive Aspects for Leeds The last time Leeds lost four straight successive top-flight matches was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with demotion Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period performance provided enough evidence to suggest they are capable of arresting their present run and climbing back up the table "Displaying such a display should provide us plenty of belief. If we demonstrate such determination and togetherness we have a great opportunity to win the points," Farke continued "We had the belief before the match, throughout the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have great togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room" Expert Analysis Commenting on radio analysis, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone expected it to be a straightforward victory for City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half" "Leeds can take a lot from this display with the way they have played in this second half" "Following that were Daniel Farke's changes, who is frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the City defenders" "It appeared like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds' campaign, but City discovered a bit of quality. They escaped with one this evening"