đź”— Share this article Manchester City Accused of Rule-Bending in Tight Victory Over Leeds - Farke Leeds United boss Daniel Farke felt Man City shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma simulated an knock in the second period of their top-flight encounter Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has accused City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of simulating a knock to "bend the rules" in their top-flight fixture at the Etihad The visitors made the poorest start with Phil Foden finding the net within the first minute, prior to Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts' advantage ahead of the half-time break Second-Half Revival Thwarted Nevertheless, Leeds fought back after the interval following a adjustment of tactics and formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting straight away following the resumption Furthermore with Manchester City clearly struggling to cope with the changes just before Lukas Nmecha levelled, home keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collapsed to receive treatment, enabling manager Pep Guardiola to summon his team to the touchline and issue new directions in the two minutes play was halted for "Everybody understands why he went down," Farke stated "It is not the obvious issue. Why he fell it was obvious. It is within the regulations. It is smart. If I approve? If it's within the spirit of sportsmanship? If it should be like this I will reserve to myself. It is up to the governing bodies to determine a solution" Coach's Disappointment "I questioned the fourth official at this point if you want to take action. Our options are limited" "If we don't teach our footballers in the game what to do in regards of sportsmanship 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 approve of personally. But if it is allowed by the regulations I have no grounds for complaint" Late Deciding Goal Phil Foden's injury-time winner sent Leeds United to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League fixtures to leave them 18th in the Premier League, with only last-placed Wolves having notched less Premier League strikes this season Tactical Adjustments However, Daniel Farke, who has been questioned for a absence of boldness particularly around changes, was nearly rewarded for a courageous decision at the half-time that nearly reversed their situation Talking to television pundits, Foden, said that his team were only capable to regroup after Guardiola's touchline meeting with his players "At half-time we were in control. Second half they came out, pressed us a lot more aggressively, they put two up top and changed the formation a little bit," said Foden "We genuinely had difficulty to gain control of the game. We assembled on the edge of the pitch and adjusted a couple of aspects and it got better from there. That little break was vital to get things right" Positive Aspects for Leeds United The last time Leeds United suffered four straight successive top-flight games was in 2022-23, when their campaign concluded with relegation Nevertheless, while Daniel Farke stated that "their overriding emotion is frustration", their second-half display offered sufficient evidence to indicate they are capable of arresting their present form and moving up the standings "To show such a performance should give us plenty of confidence. If we show such determination and unity we have a great opportunity to win the points," Farke continued "We possessed the belief before the game, throughout the game and following the game. Otherwise you cannot come back with a showing like that. We have great unity and determination in the locker room" Expert Opinion Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Celtic attacker Chris Sutton remarked: "Everybody anticipated it to be a straightforward win for Manchester City, but it has been far from comfortable in this second period" "Leeds can take 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 criticised for not being as responsive as he ought to be. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on and roughed up the Manchester City defenders" "It looked like it might be a massive pivotal moment in Leeds' campaign, but City discovered a measure of brilliance. They got away with one this afternoon"