🔗 Share this article Man City Alleged of Gamesmanship in Narrow Win Over Leeds - Daniel Farke Leeds United manager Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an knock during the second period of their top-flight encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" in their Premier League fixture at Etihad Stadium Leeds got off to the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden finding the net inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead ahead of the interval Second Period Revival Thwarted However, the visitors fought back following the interval after a change of tactics and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the resumption Furthermore with Manchester City visibly having difficulty to deal with the changes moments before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive treatment, allowing boss Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and deliver fresh instructions during the two minutes play was stopped 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 spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a resolution" Coach's Frustration "I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to do something. Our options are limited" "If we don't educate our footballers in football what to do in terms of sportsmanship and sportsmanship and everything and if we just attempt to exploit regulations and actually do a fake injury in order to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is allowed by the rules I can't complain" Late Deciding Goal Foden's injury-time winner condemned Leeds United to a sixth consecutive defeat in seven top-flight fixtures to leave them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League goals this term Strategic Changes Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness especially around changes, was almost vindicated for a bold decision at the interval that nearly turned around their situation Talking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad "At half-time we were in control. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they put a pair in attack and altered the setup a little bit," said Phil Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to get hold of the match. We got together on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was crucial to make corrections" Encouraging Signs for Leeds United The last occasion Leeds United lost four consecutive Premier League games was in the 2022-23 season, when their campaign ended with demotion However, while Farke stated that "our main emotion is frustration", their second period performance provided enough proof to indicate they are able of arresting their present form and climbing back up the standings "Displaying such a performance should give us lots of belief. If we show such determination and togetherness we have a excellent opportunity to win the points," the manager added "We had the confidence prior to the game, throughout the fixture and after the encounter. Or else you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have great togetherness and determination in the dressing room" Pundit Analysis Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone anticipated it to be a comfortable win for Manchester City, but it has been far from easy in this second half" "Leeds can derive a lot from this performance with the way they have played in this second half" "Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the City defenders" "It looked like it could be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' season, but Manchester City found a measure of quality. They got away with one this evening"