🔗 Share this article Man City Alleged of Gamesmanship in Narrow Victory Over Leeds United - Farke Leeds United boss Daniel Farke believed Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an injury in the second half of their top-flight clash Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "exploit the regulations" during their top-flight fixture at the Etihad Leeds made the poorest start with Phil Foden scoring within the opening 60 seconds, prior to Josko Gvardiol extended the home side's lead ahead of the half-time break Second-Half Comeback Denied Nevertheless, the visitors rallied after the break following a change of strategy and setup, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting immediately following the restart Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to deal with the adjustments just before Lukas Nmecha equalized, home goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down to get attention, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to call his team to the sideline and issue fresh directions in the 120 seconds the game was halted for "Everybody knows why he collapsed," Farke commented "This isn't the obvious issue. Why he went down it was clear. It is within the rules. It is clever. If I like it? If it's within the sense of sportsmanship? If it ought to be like this I will keep to myself. It is for the governing bodies to find a solution" Manager's Frustration "I questioned the assistant referee at this point if you wish to do something. Our options are limited" "Unless we teach our players in football what to do in regards of fair play and sportsmanship and everything and if we just attempt to bend the rules and actually do a fake injury in order to do an extra team meeting, it is not what I approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint" Stoppage-Time Deciding Goal Foden's injury-time decisive goal sent Leeds to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to place them eighteenth in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolverhampton having notched less top-flight goals this season Tactical Changes Nonetheless, Farke, who has been criticised for a absence of boldness particularly around substitutions, was almost vindicated for a courageous decision at the half-time that nearly reversed their situation Speaking to television pundits, Phil Foden, said that his side were only capable to regroup following Pep Guardiola's sideline conference with his squad "At half-time we were in command. After halftime they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they deployed a pair in attack and altered the setup a bit," commented Foden "We genuinely struggled to gain control of the match. We assembled on the side of the field and changed a couple of aspects and it improved from there. That brief pause was vital to get things right" Positive Aspects for Leeds The most recent occasion Leeds United lost four straight consecutive Premier League games was in 2022-23, when their season concluded with demotion However, while Farke said that "their overriding feeling is disappointment", their second period display offered enough evidence to indicate they are able of arresting their current form and climbing up the table "To show such a performance should provide us plenty of confidence. If we demonstrate such spirit and togetherness we have a excellent chance to win the results," the manager continued "We had the belief before the match, during the fixture and following the encounter. Otherwise you can't come back with a performance like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room" Expert Analysis Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex- Celtic forward Chris Sutton said: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward win for City, but it has been anything but comfortable in this second period" "Leeds United can take a lot from this performance with the manner they have played in this second period" "Following that were Daniel Farke's adjustments, who is frequently questioned for not being as proactive as he should be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and physically challenged the City defenders" "It appeared like it could be a massive turning point in Leeds United's season, but Manchester City found a measure of brilliance. They escaped with one this afternoon"