Guardiola supports Manchester Citys Donnarumma following Farkes accusation of simulated injury

Pep Guardiola came to the defence of Gianluigi Donnarumma following comments from Leeds manager Daniel Farke who implied the goalkeeper pretended to be hurt during Manchester Citys thrilling 3-2 victory on Saturday.

Manchester City controlled the opening period at the Etihad Stadium taking the lead through a strike from Phil Foden only 59 seconds in before Josko Gvardiol added a second goal.

However Leeds responded after the break in this Premier League clash with replacement Dominic Calvert Lewin netting to reduce the deficit for the away team.

The match stood at 2-1 to City when the home sides Donnarumma signalled for treatment prompting Guardiola to rally his squad as he sought to counter a tactical shift by Leeds.

Despite Guardiolas instructions the visitors levelled when Gvardiol gave away a spot kick from which Lukas Nmecha converted the rebound after Donnarumma parried the initial effort.

Guardiola maintained he thought the injury to Donnarumma was real telling James Trafford to get ready just in case he needed to come on.

"I didnt talk to Gigio" he explained. "As soon as it occurred I turned to the bench and told James to warm up. Im not sure. You can question me about it at the next media session and Ill check with Gigio then."

Nothing I personally like

Farke insisted the match dynamics shifted notably once Donnarumma got treatment despite Leeds managing to tie the score.

"Its allowed by the regulations" the German stated. "Its clever. Whether I approve of it or if it aligns with fair play principles... Ill keep my views private and let the governing bodies address it" he continued.

"I spoke to the fourth official then asking if they planned any action and he replied No our options are limited we cant intervene.

"If we fail to teach our footballers about fair play and sportsmanship what are we doing? If players simply exploit loopholes like feigning an injury for extra team instructions its not something I favour personally though if the rules permit it I wont protest."

Manchester City began the game after back to back losses to Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen and squandering a two goal cushion against a team fighting relegation would have dented their title aspirations further.

"It brought relief" Guardiola remarked about Fodens decisive goal. "The first half wasnt flawless but we should have sealed it with our opportunities. We kept a clean sheet initially then their setup hurt us similar to how Leverkusen did with a 5-3-2 formation."

He went on "Football thrives on emotions. We let in the equaliser and then we elevated our performance. Our response was strong. We needed to deliver crosses rapidly into the area. Whether from full backs or wingers it counts and ultimately Phils skill made the difference."