Burnley boss Dyche - we huffed and puffed

Sean Dyche admitted his side 'huffed and puffed' as they went down to a third-successive defeat at Fulham.
Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

On the back of 3-1 losses to Watford and Olympiakos, Burnley suffered a 4-2 defeat at Craven Cottage, despite goals from Jeff Hendrick and a second in two games for James Tarkowski.

It leaves the Clarets in the bottom three in the embryonic Premier League table, and Dyche said: “The best side won, that’s the truth as I saw it. If you’re questioning how they’ve spent £100m and what’s gone with it and how it works, I thought it was pretty good today.

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“They played some good and effective stuff, and the best player on the pitch was the centre forward, Mitrovic, I thought he did everything a good centre forward should do, and that performance level doesn’t half help.

Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

“From our point of view, we huffed and puffed, we stayed in it, as we do. We worked hard, there was no lack of work, there was a lack of quality in the final third - we know that is an ongoing thing we need to add.”

He added: “You’ve got to balance it off and give credit to the opposition, their first goal was a class goal, the second was poor from us but good play from them. We’re on the edge of their box, trying to score, and they counter.

“We slow them down as we’re good at, they turn round the other way and put a great ball in for the centre forward.

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“So I don’t want to discredit the opposition, I always try to be truthful.”

Burnley had their moments, particularly during the first half on the counter, but Dyche mused: “I thought we didn’t make enough of that (transitions). We countered...the way they play we knew there would be moments like that, and they will concede playing like that. But, they’re also a force going forward, so it’s finding a balance.

“We didn’t find that. We countered in a manner, there or four occasions, where...the one where Johann hurts his hamstring, it’s a yard over-hit. If it’s not, it’s an unbelievable goalscoring opportunity.

“We didn’t make anywhere near the best of the moments we should have done. We still pressed and didn’t get a killer moment.”

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Fulham’s fourth goal was scored by Andre Schurrle, who could have been sent off for a late, high challenge on Ashley Westwood, but Dyche said: “You get then, you don’t. It’s one of those things, referees have a hard job, that’s not the deciding factor.”