🔗 Share this article Man City Accused of Gamesmanship in Narrow Win Over Leeds - Farke Leeds boss Daniel Farke believed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an injury during the second half of their top-flight clash Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" during their top-flight match at the Etihad The visitors got off to the worst possible start with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side's advantage before the half-time break Second Period Comeback Thwarted Nevertheless, the visitors fought back after the interval following a change of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away following the resumption And with City visibly having difficulty to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue fresh directions during the two minutes play was stopped for "Everyone knows why he collapsed," Farke commented "This isn't the obvious issue. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. 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 determine a resolution" Coach's Disappointment "I ask the fourth official at this moment if you want to take action. Our hands are tied" "Unless we teach our footballers in the game what to do in regards of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in an attempt 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" Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less top-flight strikes this term Tactical Changes However, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a courageous choice at the half-time that nearly turned around their situation Talking to television pundits, Foden, stated that his team were only able to reorganize after Guardiola's sideline conference with his players "During the break we were in control. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot higher, they put a pair up top and changed the setup a little bit," said Phil Foden "We genuinely struggled to gain control of the game. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was crucial to get things right" Encouraging Signs for Leeds The last occasion Leeds United suffered four straight consecutive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season ended with relegation Nevertheless, while Farke said that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half performance offered sufficient evidence to suggest they are able of arresting their present form and climbing up the standings "Displaying such a performance should give us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the points," the manager continued "We possessed the belief prior to the match, throughout the game and after the game. Or else you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the locker room" Pundit Opinion Commenting on radio analysis, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second half" "Leeds United can take a lot from this performance with the manner they have performed in this second period" "Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and roughed up the City centre-backs" "It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but City found a measure of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"