🔗 Share this article Manchester City Alleged of Gamesmanship in Tight Victory Over Leeds - Farke Leeds manager Daniel Farke believed Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an injury in the second half of their top-flight encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight match at the Etihad Leeds got off to the poorest beginning with Phil Foden scoring inside the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the hosts' lead before the half-time break Second Period Comeback Thwarted However, the visitors fought back after the interval following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring straight away after the restart Furthermore with City visibly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get treatment, enabling boss Pep Guardiola to call his players to the touchline and deliver new directions during the 120 seconds the game was halted for "Everybody knows why he went down," Farke stated "It is not the obvious issue. Why he went down it was clear. It is within the regulations. It is smart. If I like it? If it's in line with the spirit of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the authorities to determine a solution" Coach's Disappointment "I ask the assistant referee at this point if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "Unless we teach our footballers in football what to do in terms of fair play and sportsmanship and whatever and if we just try to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury 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 can't complain" Late Deciding Goal Phil Foden's injury-time winner sent Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to place them 18th in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched fewer Premier League strikes this term Strategic Changes Nonetheless, Daniel Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around substitutions, was nearly vindicated for a bold choice at the interval that almost turned around their fortunes Talking to BBC Match of the Day, Phil Foden, said that his team were only able to reorganize after Pep Guardiola's sideline meeting with his players "At half-time we were in command. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot higher, they deployed two up top and altered the formation a little bit," commented Phil Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the match. We got together on the side of the pitch and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That little break was vital to get things right" Encouraging Signs for Leeds The last time Leeds United suffered four straight successive top-flight games was in the 2022-23 season, when their season ended with demotion Nevertheless, while Farke said that "our overriding emotion is frustration", their second period performance provided enough evidence to indicate they are able of halting their present form and moving up the table "Displaying such a performance should give us lots of belief. If we show such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to earn the points," the manager added "We had the confidence before the game, throughout the fixture and after the encounter. Otherwise you can't respond with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the dressing room" Pundit Analysis Commenting on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Scottish club forward Chris Sutton said: "Everyone anticipated it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second period" "Leeds United 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 frequently criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was introduced and physically challenged the City centre-backs" "It looked like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but Manchester City discovered a measure of quality. They got away with one this afternoon"