It is just before the hour mark and Leeds United, out of nowhere, are pushing for an equaliser against Man City at The Etihad despite going into the break 2-0 down.
Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol had given City the lead in what might have been seen as unassailable for Leeds at the time, given their struggles of late, and that it was against a title contender in Pep’s Man City.
Yet, Leeds came roaring back after a formation change at half-time. Daniel Farke, for once, was proactive and on came Jaka Bijol and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It took Calvert-Lewin just four minutes to score.
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Manchester City v Leeds United - Premier League
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Then, Lukas Nmecha bundled home a rebound from a penalty won by the impressive Calvert-Lewin. But moments from time, Foden scored his second of the afternoon and Leeds suffered a harsh 3-2 loss.
There was controversy, too. Just before the hour mark, Gianluigi Donnarumma went down with a muscle injury, and it saw Pep Guardiola conduct a team talk on the pitch. Donnarumma was then fine to continue.
Lukas Nmecha scoring against Manchester City
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Lukas Nmecha dumbfounded by Gianluigi Donnarumma incident
While Leeds would equalise after Donnarumma had gone down, the team talk given by Guardiola on the side of the pitch allowed City to reassert some control and eventually lead to much more injury time.
Farke bemoaned the “smart” tactics deployed after the game, a possible ploy by Guardiola to allow him the opportunity to relay tactical information. Nmecha spoke to LUTV and admits he was left stunned.
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“I’ve never experienced a half-time in the second half where they’ve managed to have a meeting on the side, I’ve never seen that before. I don’t know how they got away with that. An extra 10 minutes as well.”
A performance to be proud of after that first-half showing! Relive what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon here 😤
What Daniel Farke said about Man City’s second-half break
Farke was equally as annoyed as his summer signing Nmecha. The German gaffer suggested it was an issue during his post-match press conference, while reminding reporters that it remains in the “rules”.
“It is not the elephant in the room. Why he went down it was obvious. It is within the rules. It is smart. If I like it? If it’s within the sense of fair play? If it should be like this I will keep to myself,” Farke said.
City’s win compounds Leeds’ issues, and a run of form that now stretches to six defeats in seven top-tier league games. Farke and Leeds can change that at Elland Road on Wednesday, against Chelsea.
It will be interesting to see how Farke lines up against Chelsea, and whether Germany international Nmecha retains his spot after scoring a third goal in three, and his fourth Premier League goal this term.
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