🔗 Share this article Manchester City Alleged of Gamesmanship in Narrow Win Against Leeds - Daniel Farke Leeds boss Daniel Farke believed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma feigned an knock during the second half of their top-flight clash Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke claimed City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" in their top-flight fixture at Etihad Stadium Leeds made the worst possible beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, before Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' advantage ahead of the half-time break Second Period Revival Thwarted However, the visitors fought back following the break after a adjustment of strategy and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring immediately after the restart Furthermore with City visibly having difficulty to deal with the adjustments moments before Lukas Nmecha equalized, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his players to the sideline and issue fresh instructions during the two minutes the game was stopped for "Everybody knows why he went down," Farke commented "This isn't the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the bounds of the rules. It is smart. If I like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to determine a resolution" Coach's Frustration "I questioned the fourth official at this moment if you wish to take action. Our hands are tied" "If we don't educate our players in the game what to do in terms of fair play and fair play and everything and if we just try to exploit regulations and actually do a simulated knock in order to do an additional team meeting, it is not what I like personally. But if it is within the rules I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal Phil Foden's stoppage-time decisive goal condemned Leeds to a sixth loss in seven Premier League matches to place them 18th in the division, with only bottom club Wolverhampton having notched less Premier League goals this term Strategic Changes Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of adventure particularly around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a bold choice at the half-time that nearly reversed their fortunes Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Foden, stated that his team were only capable to regroup after Guardiola's touchline meeting with his squad "At half-time we were in control. Second half they emerged, harried us a lot more aggressively, they put two in attack and altered the formation a little bit," said Foden "We really had difficulty to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the pitch and changed a few things and it got better from there. That brief pause was vital to make corrections" Encouraging Aspects for Leeds The most recent occasion Leeds suffered four successive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season ended with demotion Nevertheless, while Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half performance provided sufficient proof to suggest they are able of arresting their current form and moving up the standings "Displaying such a performance should provide us lots of belief. If we demonstrate such spirit and unity we have a excellent chance to win the results," the manager continued "We possessed the belief before the game, during the game and after the game. Otherwise you cannot respond with a performance like that. We have strong togetherness and fighting spirit in the dressing room" Pundit Opinion Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic attacker Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a comfortable victory for Manchester City, but it has been far from easy in this second period" "Leeds can derive a lot from this performance with the manner they have played in this second period" "Then came Daniel Farke's changes, who is often questioned for not being as responsive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the City centre-backs" "It looked like it might be a huge turning point in Leeds United's campaign, but Manchester City found a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"