🔗 Share this article Man City Alleged of Rule-Bending in Tight Victory Over Leeds - Farke Leeds boss Daniel Farke believed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an injury in the second period of their Premier League clash Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" during their top-flight match at Etihad Stadium The visitors made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring within the first minute, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the interval Second Period Comeback Thwarted However, the visitors fought back following the break following a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away following the restart Furthermore with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the touchline and issue fresh instructions during the two minutes play was halted for "Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke stated "It is not the elephant in the room. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is clever. If I like it? If it's in line with the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will reserve to myself. It is for the governing bodies to determine a solution" Manager's Frustration "I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we teach our footballers in the game what to do in terms of sportsmanship and fair play and everything and if we just try to exploit regulations and even do a simulated knock in an attempt to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like myself. But if it is allowed by the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Winner Foden's stoppage-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having scored less Premier League goals this term Tactical Changes Nonetheless, Farke, who has been questioned for a lack of boldness especially around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a courageous decision at the interval that nearly reversed their fortunes Speaking to television pundits, Foden, said that his side were only capable to regroup after Pep Guardiola's touchline conference with his squad "During the break we were in command. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed two up top and altered the formation a bit," commented Phil Foden "We genuinely struggled to get hold of the game. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was crucial to make corrections" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds The last time Leeds suffered four successive top-flight matches was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with demotion However, while Farke said that "our overriding feeling is disappointment", their second-half display provided sufficient proof to indicate they are capable of arresting their current run and moving back up the table "To show such a performance should give us lots of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a great chance to win the results," the manager continued "We possessed the belief prior to the game, during the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you can't come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and fighting spirit in the locker room" Pundit Opinion Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been anything but easy in this second half" "Leeds can take a lot from this display with the manner they have played in this second half" "Then came Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently criticised for not being as proactive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the Manchester City defenders" "It appeared like it might be a massive turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but City found a bit of quality. They got away with one this evening"